


Jealousy Complex

by CultMother



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions, Pokemon Sword and Shield
Genre: & Hop, Age-Up, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Angst, Attempted Murder, Childhood Friends, Damn, Drama, F/M, Life as champion, Love Triangles, Multi, NO SUCH THING AS ONLY FRIENDS IN A HAREM, OC, Post-Champion, Reverse harem [kind of], Story-Driven, The plot may get darker in the future/, Unrequited Love, [skippable smut], a little bit of a slowburn, childhood friends with Leon, i think I'm gonna add some marnie to the mix, marnie and piers, some smut chapters [with warnings], that's greedy, xolia you're kinda going overboard with both siblings aren't you?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:27:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 28,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21576796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CultMother/pseuds/CultMother
Summary: Life as a Champion wasn't as she thought it would be.PR, fame and work would consume her days.But who would consume her nights?She'd been rejected by Leon once already. Trying again wouldn't seem right- he didn't even see her as an adult. She wasn't fond of Hop in a romantic way, and he was avoiding her ever since she rejected him after she beat him in the championship match."You're looking for a relationship? You can't just date whoever you want anymore.""What do you mean?""At the very least, they have to be a gym leader or a challenger who made it to the championships. You're champion now. You can't just do whatever you want- you are the future of this nation, meant to protect it and help it forward. Who you're with will affect everyone, not just you. Not to mention, they have to appease your fans and make them hungry for more- I will select someone for you and you'll meet them tomorrow. I'll clear any battles and commercial shoots we have for tomorrow just for this.""But, I-""No buts. You don't have to like them. You just have to date them."
Relationships: Bede (Pokemon)/Original Character(s), Hop (Pokemon)/Original Character(s), Leon (Pokemon)/Original Character(s), Marnie (Pokemon)/Original Character(s), Piers (Pokemon)/Original Character(s), Raihan (Pokemon)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 125
Kudos: 254





	1. Gallery

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So, this is kind of a harem, kind of not. Idk, I was sad when the game ended, so I just wanted to write more to have fun with it. A personal passion project.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't really a chapter, more of an organizer so I can hyperlink people to the smut they want to see and a showcase for fanart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't really a chapter, more of an organizer so I can hyperlink people to the smut they want to see and a showcase for fanart. The discord has plenty of great people- and great artists- to the point where I think literally only amazing artists play Pokemon.
> 
> More to be added at a later date!  
> Come join us at the discord to speak to all of the amazing members that have joined.~  
> https://discord.gg/syQmwZ

**Everyone** starts with three potential scenes. Depending on the flow of the story, this may expand as we go _and_ add more characters.  
TBA - To Be Added

TBD - To Be Determined

* * *

**~ Xolia ~**

_Our main character. She's been in love with Leon for the longest time. She's watched every match. She's squealed into her pillow when he wins, which is almost every time. Because of her innocence, she's not very experienced with sexual situations and lacks knowledge on how to please herself. Her sexual frustration takes physical form in Pokemon battles- although, for the most part, she is normal, when she's down to her last Pokemon things start getting a little weird. The best way this can be described as a 'defeat kink' in which she takes sexual pleasure from losing. Because of this, she's doubled down on her Pokemon matches, anxious to make sure it doesn't happen on camera. Although she claims she's only orgasmed due to coming close to defeat twice, there was a third time... one she doesn't remember._

_Xolia will be put through a series of kinks, which means you can generally assume 'everything' on this list. However, her defeat kink is the most prominent._

_Guess some people just love to lose._

* * *

**Smut Chapters! [with kink warnin** **gs]**

* * *

**~ Piers ~**

_Piers likes it public. Although he's usually a great example to the next generation, he's technically still only 24. He tends to think with his libido before his brain, which gets him into all sorts of problems with the Champion. All in all, he remains cool about things._

[\- Piers 1](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21576796/chapters/51561616)

~ TBD

~ TBD

 **Kinky:** _Public, teasing, light control kink, more TBA_

* * *

**~ Leon ~**

_Leon is extremely kind in his day-to-day activities. Nobody would expect him to be hiding the truth; that he's actually **very** possessive and very controlling when it comes down to it. He likes being on top in bed, and he'll let you know it. His possessiveness tends to leak through his actions in everyday life, although if you tease him about it, he'll usually just blush and ignore you. For who he is behind closed doors, in public, he's very sweet in comparison._

~ TBD

~ TBD

~ TBD

 **Kinky: If you like being controlled or possessive Leon, this is for you.** _Dub. Consent, aggression, secret affair, heavy control kink._

* * *

**~ Bede ~**

_Bede has a small problem with stalking. He always told himself to stop doing what he was doing, but he was either too curious or too interested. After Xolia defeated him the first time, he resolved to follow her around.. Of course, Bede always challenged her to more battles, but was beaten every time and essentially forced to acknowledge Xolia. He and Hop grew mutual hate for one another, but his true crush came after what Xolia said to Hop after Bede destroyed his team._

~ TBD

~ TBD

~ TBD

 **Kinky:** _Vanilla, breaking and entering, bullying, teasing, shy, switch. Bede is as fluffy as his hair is._

* * *

**~ Raihan ~**

_The king of dragons that needs no introduction. He finds certain things hard to resist, although he may try his best. He likes sex. A lot. One might even consider him an addict. He takes control, just like his dragon pokemon do in a battle. He likes recording, or taking pictures during- although when someone says no pictures, he'll put away the camera._

~ TBD

~ TBD

~ TBD

 **Kinky:** _Potential sextape leak, rough, fast & hard, for Raihan literally any kink goes at any time._

* * *

**~ Hop ~**

_He is a fallen hero. Everything about the championships crushed him and his spirit. Having fled to another region to try and search for himself, Hop will return... thinking that he'd gotten over Xolia. Forgetting someone isn't as easy as people make it sound. Sometimes, they haunt your memories and dreams without fail._

~ TBD

~ TBD

~ TBD

 **Kinky:** _Revenge sex, alcohol, bad decisions, TBA_

* * *

~ Marnie ~

~ TBD

~ TBD

~ TBD

* * *

**Warning: This is for people who may like more _dubious_ kinks. Generally not for the faint of heart, and definitely not as wholesome as the others. I'll eventually get to these scenes, and based on what people want [more/less] I'll leave it at just one scene or add to it. As for other things, well, ALL smut chapters can be skipped. Characters _will_ mention events that have happened, but very vaguely. These are not the good guys.**

* * *

**~ Adam ~**

_A young man with slicked-back black hair and a beauty mark. He's approached by women for his beauty, and by the time he's done with them, he usually gets dumped. He uses this example to preach about how beauty isn't skin deep, and sometimes where an apple may look perfect, it could be rotten to the core._

~ TBD

_Kinks: Humiliation, domination, noncon/dubcon, manipulation_

* * *

**~ Victor ~**

**Credit to Valentine for the art~!**

_Victor is a special case. He has the same blonde hair and pale eyes as Xolia. One could almost see them as twins. He has an air of mystery about him, although there's one thing for certain; he's a famous actor, and his ability to act surpasses any ever seen before. He seems to be a prodigy of some sort, although his talents and skill don't end there._

~ TBD

 **Kinks:** _Yandere, Tsundere, noncon/dubcon, intense hate, I mean if you're into people trying to murder you at some points I guess he's for you, mind games_

* * *

_**Xolia Fanart!** _

Credit to Ferdinand! 

Credit to Avacyn!

Credit to my boo Valentine <3


	2. Chapter 2

Being the champion of the Galar Region wasn’t anything like I thought it would be. 

For all its fanfare, underlying was the responsibility of a job Leon had promised to take care of. Even though I was eighteen, and he was twenty-two, it still rubbed me the wrong way. He still saw me as nothing more than a child. I suppose that’s some kind of poetic justice, though. Leon always took care of everything. _“Just relax, Xolia. You have your whole life ahead of you to be an adult. Don’t grow up too soon.”_

_“Just relax, Xolia. It’s not a problem. We just need to forget this ever happened.”_

Both were equally grating sentences. One, his current. The other, one from his childhood. Our childhood. I could never tell what Leon was thinking. I think everyone had that problem, though. Hop was much easier to read… but it was different with him. He was my best friend. The kid I grew up with. My rival. For a myriad of reasons, the way I saw Leon would never be the way I saw Hop. Maybe he resented me a little for that. And still, here I was, eighteen and single. Since childhood. One rejection under my belt. If only winning Pokémon battles was as easy as getting a date. 

It was hard to move on from Leon. It was even harder rejecting Hop after the championship battle. He took it in stride, though, a smile on his face. But… we haven’t seen each other since. 

I have a feeling that maybe, Hop is staying away from me. I kind of understand, though. I was someone he poured his heart out to, and I rejected him. It was kind of similar to Leon and I. Always following in his footsteps, seeking something _,_ some kind of sign that he would ever see me as more than a child. 

The answer was as I expected. It was doubtful Leon would ever feel anything for me beyond platonic. That realization in itself was hard. Even though I had worked so hard, so hard to just beat him, _make him_ acknowledge me and my growth…

All he had done was see me as the champion. Not an adult, not someone worthy of him, just… the champion. 

As I was packing my stuff up, my mother came up the stairs. “You could reject their offer, you know. You could stay home, with me.”

I turned to look at her, giving her a small smile. “It’s the perks of being the Champion. I get a suite in the gym. It’s where I have to stay on standby in case someone wants to challenge me.” I walked up to her, giving her a warm bear-hug. “You know I wanted to be a breeder, mom. I’ll come back with a bunch of eggs someday and stay for a couple of weeks to train them up, alright?”

My mother sighed. “Alright, but only if you promise to clear your schedule. I don’t understand when you stopped wanting to be a breeder and started to aspire to be champion, but you did it. I’m glad you aren’t giving up your own aspirations and hobbies, but I hope you’ll have enough time to breed Pokémon at the same time.”

I hoped so. I would hate being held back by my new title… that was the last thing I needed right now. “Alright, well, everything is packed up. I’m going to go visit Hop and Leon’s house before I take off. The movers shouldn’t be here yet.”

“Alright! I’m proud of you, regardless of what you do. Just don’t give up on your dreams.” I wouldn’t. As I walked out the door, to the sun shining brightly, I knew this was weather my Arcanine, Joy, would like. Taking out the poke ball, I threw it, and it opened- to reveal a battle-ready giant, fluffy dog. It looked around, confused, before turning back to me and tilting its head. 

“Today is a relaxation day, Joy. You’ve done well- _really well_. You defeated a gym leader all on your own, so you deserve it.” He had been with her since the beginning of her journey, one of the very first Pokémon she had caught. It matched her pace as they walked down the dirt road, barking every now and again at a Wooloo. 

When we approached Leon and Hop’s house, I turned back to Arcanine. “Wait out here, alright?” It nodded, plopping its butt onto the ground. Before I knew it, it was rolling around in the grass happily. A couple of Budew scattered, panicked, hoping to get away from the fire-type behemoth. I laughed at the sight, causing Joy to perk up and look at me, as alert as can be. “Relax, Joy. Don’t mind me. It’s just nice to see you out of battle for once.” It nodded, as if in agreement, before chasing after a Budew that had caught its eye. Poor things scattered, their panic spreading to other Budews. 

I walked inside and was immediately greeted by the smell of oranberry poffins. The delicious scent caused me to gravitate toward the kitchen, where Hop & Leon’s mother stood, taking a fresh batch out of the oven. “Oh, Xolia! It’s so nice to see you. Hop and Leon aren’t here, currently- they both said they had some stuff they had to sort out and dashed off, which is exactly like the both of them. Leon said he left something for you up in his room, though.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll go upstairs real quick and take a look before I head off to the arena!” 

“By the time you’re done, these poffins should’ve cooled down and then you can have a bite, yeah?” 

I nodded, before dashing up the stairs eagerly. Something from Leon? The last time I’d gotten something from him, it’d been a Grookey. I stood in his doorway, staring into his room. Memories rushed over me. I hadn’t been in here for a _very long_ time. Neither had he, apparently, as he had boxes stacked to the wall. I stared at the bed where we had sat in our teens. 

_My neck had craned so I could reach his height. My lips pressed against his. For once, I thought I was going to get my way. I had been so enamoured with him, from the beginning. Even as it was Hop, Leon and I playing together, I always aspired to be as fun as Leon was. He didn’t stop me from kissing him, but he didn’t react, either. As I pulled away and stared at him, his expression wasn’t one I was expecting. “Xolia… you’re my brother’s best friend. That’s it. You’re four years younger than me. I’m sorry, but I-”_

_“No, I understand.” I could hear my voice break as I tried to keep my emotions in. I was just a naive fourteen-year-old that an eighteen-year-old Leon had no idea what to do with. I understand why he didn’t react. He didn’t accept or react. He just sat there until I was done, and that was even more humiliating. I moved to leave without a word, but Leon had grabbed my wrist._

_“Just relax, Xolia. It’s not a problem. We just need to forget this ever happened.”_

Forget… how could I ever forget about something like that? It’d been four years and I was still into Leon to the point where any time I got close to him, my feelings only grew stronger. Was getting over someone supposed to be this hard? 

I wandered over to his bed, feeling the silky smoothness of his sheets and a fading warmth. Leon must’ve spent the night here. Although the bed had been made perfectly, there were signs of disturbance. Leon’s smell covered it. It was comforting, like a warm hug. Tears pricked in the corners of my eyes. What went through his mind? What did he think of me? Did he want to be around me? Did I pop up in his mind like he did mine? 

I turned my head, looking around the room. There was a Pokeball in the middle of the room, with a note under it. I picked it up. 

_I’m sorry. Please take this. I hope that you can use your magic and make it turn out like you always do._

I threw the Pokeball, and out of it came a small Charmander. It stared at me, as if smiling, unaware of everything that was going on. Had Leon… bred his Charizard for me? “I know what I’ll name you.” I picked up the Charmander and it squirmed a bit, wiggling its legs in the air as it panicked. I placed it in my lap and pet it. It was nice and warm. It calmed down. “Your name is going to be Leon.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://youtu.be/sbO35dc9b8s
> 
> Here's a song that represents Olivia! [Character introduced in this chapter]

“Oh my, is that a Charmander?” Leon’s mom walked up to me as I came down the stairs, beside herself with joy. “I remember when Leon first got his. I’m sure you do, too, right?” 

I did. Leon was sixteen at the time. That was the first time I _really_ took an interest in pokemon. The minute I saw Charmander, a rather rare pokemon for the Galar region, I decided that one day I wanted to fix that issue and breed them. I couldn’t find an area where there were any, though… And I never really was able to catch a pokemon, either. God knows I tried. But, without a pokemon to aid me, it had always been too dangerous and Leon was always there to save me when I got into trouble.

_I cried in his arms as he carried me home, the cut on my arm blooming red. It hurt so badly that it burned, and I didn’t feel good at all. “Only an idiot goes and gets poisoned by a pokemon while trying to catch it! Do you know how dangerous that is?!” I could barely move, the feeling of sickness rendering me immobile. The look on his face was nothing more than worry, a single goal in his mind; get me home and get me healed. “I swear, I knew you wanted to befriend pokemon… but I didn’t think you’d go this far to do it!”_

That moment was when I fell for him. He was like a noble knight, coming to my rescue. It was embarrassing, but I loved him. At times, I hung around Hop just to see him. When he babysat us, I tried to get as much attention from him as I could. Those were wonderful memories, all of them that were constantly kept with me and ran through in my mind. Leon was nothing short of wonderful. “Here. Your moving truck is probably already here, so I packaged up some poffins to go.” I took them out of her hands, the box she’d given me warm. 

“Thank you so much. I appreciate everything! Let’s go, Leon.” The Charmander looked around for a second, before rushing to follow me.

“Oh! Did you name him Leon? How cute!” I froze. How would other people think of me naming him Leon…? I didn’t even think before I called out his name, so now he’ll _definitely_ answer only to Leon…! Oh my god, what if I had to fight Leon again? Or _anyone_ again? No, no, no, no, no! I’d be humiliated if I used it in the Championships! But… it was a gift from _Leon._ I couldn’t just _not_ use it. There would be questions. And I’d already named it because it had emotional value and everything. 

I picked up what would soon become a bundle of trouble in my life, holding Leon in my arms. As I walked outside, I opened up the poffin box and held one up to Leon’s maw. He chomped down, tearing into it with vigour. It seems like he really liked the taste! I bit into one, too. It was nice and warm, although the rest of it was snatched by the Charmander in my arms. “Hey! You had your own!” I protested, but the protests fell on deaf ears as he squirmed toward the poffin box. I set him down, wagging my finger at him. “No!” His maw opened, and fire settled in the back of his throat, almost like a threat as he stared me down. “Guess I have to teach you a lesson, huh, Leon? Go! Joy!” I reached for the pokemon and completed the throwing motion, but I forgot that the Pokeball was empty. I turned my head to look for him, and, sure enough, there down the road he was tormenting poor Budews.

It was clear Leon wasn’t happy about my actions. The fire built in his throat and spewed from it. “I-I suppose we can’t think of a peaceful solution, huh?” I narrowly dodged the Flamethrower move as it came at me. This thing had an attitude, attacking its master like that! It was lucky I gave it any of my precious poffins at all, let alone one! I took another one out, waving it around. Leon stopped breathing fire immediately, probably fearing incinerating the treat he wanted so badly. “Only one more, all right, Leon?!”

“I’m not going to ask.” I looked up to see a rather elegant, blonde-haired woman with sunglasses staring back at me. “I am Olivia Newport. I _hate_ Pokemon. I love politics. I am also your agent.”

“How can anyone hate pokemon?” I asked. Charmander wandered over to me, waving its hands in the air. I picked it up, and it sat on my arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “They’re how we use _everything_ in this world.” 

“I don’t think so. I do not _touch_ Rotom phones, for one, so I have an all-normal phone that’s compatible with calls from the most recent models. We do _not_ need pokemon to be sufficient in anything. However, this miserable blood-sport has grown beyond what it actually is and seeped into the very foundation of culture in almost every country.” 

“So why did you get a job involving pokemon…?” 

Olivia sighed. “For one, this is the most profitable angle right now- being an agent of a Pokemon Champion. It’s a venue that has so much money in it I’d be stupid not to pursue a career where I myself do not need to handle pokemon. I don’t even have to interact with them- speaking of which, please keep your pokemon in their Pokeballs around me. They’re not to be seen or heard until battle.” 

I didn’t agree with that. There was no way that could be right. Pokemon were living, feeling creatures. Some could even speak, or mimic the human language. There were even some fairy tales about humans turning into pokemon and pokemon turning into humans! 

“I’m sorry, Olivia, but I don’t think…”

“No buts! First of all, your reign as champion will last up to four years maximum. Just look at how long Leon lasted. I know you’re currently undefeated and have never lost a Pokémon battle, but in the future when you’re the next broke ex-champion, you’re going to want to have funds to survive off of. _Every_ champion will eventually fade from the limelight. I am here to make _both_ of us money. Do what I say and you can pay off any debt your family has or even get a bigger house. If you’re going to waste my time, however, you can go ahead and look for an agent better than me- because there isn’t.”

“But treating my Pokemon like that isn’t-” Olivia’s eyes moved to Charmander Leon. 

“You fancy the ex-champion to the point where you’d name a beast like that after him.”

“N-No, you’ve got it all wrong!” I sputtered, trying to recover from any kind of statement like that. I’ve kept my affections for Leon secret this long. Only Leon himself knew about it. 

“The Galar region is in the red after what Chairman Rose pulled. Leon had to invest all of his own money into his newest pet project, the Battle Tower, hoping to gain it all back and more. Rose’s funds were seized by the police, and since haven’t been released. All of the ownerships to the gyms have gone to the gym leaders, who are forced to pay for upkeep. If you want to help your _beloved_ champion, then I suggest you do exactly as I say. We need to _sell_ you, as hard as physically possible. Everything is a selling point. Fan meetups, who you socialize with, maybe even a country club founded by funds from your pocket for the rich to battle- with a subscription, that is.” 

I was uncomfortable about thinking Leon would be in that kind of trouble. Even though Chairman Rose had been arrested, Leon just kept battling with a smile, despite knowing Galar was in a tough place. 

His very last battle as a champion. _I_ took that away from him. He knew the entire time what that last battle meant… and he still took it in stride.

“I want to help Galar.” 

“Good choice, Champion.” 

I stared down at my Pokeball. “Can I at least have Leon out?” 

Olivia gave a distasteful glance to the Pokemon in my arms. “As long as he doesn’t come near me, remains quiet, and remains small. It’s good for photos, should paparazzi chase you.” 

“Thank you, Olivia!” 

“Don’t thank me yet. Now, follow me. You have your new suite to be shown to.” 

“One more question.” She glared at me. I could tell she was getting tired of dealing with me already. “When will I be able to come back here for a visit for a little bit?”

“Nowhere within the next five months. I don’t know beyond that, but it will be a while.” So I wouldn’t see my mother for a long time. At least she would come to visit me, right? With matches and stuff…? 

“Alright. Joy!” I called, and the Arcanine came bounding toward me, much to Olivia’s bitter hatred as she rushed out of the way. 

“I _told_ you to keep your pokemon in their Pokeballs!” 

“I’m very sorry! I let Arcanine out for a little while…! I’m putting him back in now!” In a flash of light, he was gone. All that remained was a dishevelled Olivia, her eyes burning with anger. 

“Let’s go! Everything is already packed up and our train leaves in five minutes.”

“I… can’t say goodbye to my mother?”

“This life is one you choose, Champion Xolia. You have to decide worth for yourself. Is a goodbye you can do over the phone worth losing your train and your morning public relations ad so you can help Leon, and by extension, the entirety of Galar?” The look on my face told her all she needed to know. “Good. Follow me.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song for this chapter! 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXAVO_pYu34  
> Neovaii - Should've Started

**Five months later**

“Xolia has won the championship finals once again! Gym Challenger Theemin, good luck next time!” The announcer finished off the championships with a nod to one of the more persistent gym challengers, someone who had faced off against me over and over again without fail. He entered almost every championship we held. On the list of people who never stopped trying, Raihan was one of them.

As I walked off the pitch and into the locker rooms, there was Raihan- waiting for me. He’d most likely bribed his way into staying and waiting for me. He did have a way with words. He stepped closer to me, pinning me against the lockers. I was cornered. “So, Xolia, word on the street is that you’re single. Can I take you out on the town tonight? As long as you don’t mind plenty of selfies, that is. I figure I might as well have other pictures on my feed than just me losing to you all the time.” 

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I replied. I was still hung up over Leon. It wasn’t that Raihan wasn’t amazing in his own way. He had a sort of confidence to him that made him attractive to  _ any  _ woman. Sure, I felt some attraction to him, but Leon overshadowed that by a long shot. I couldn’t tell Raihan that, either, because with all of his losses to Leon this might be the cruellest of all. “Won’t people think you’re a masochist if you’re seen chasing after people who beat you all the time?”

“Ouch.” He didn’t take it too seriously, though. He knew it was a joke. “Listen, I don’t get why you’re holding yourself back. Is it because I’m two years older than you? I figured you would like older men. The way we battle, anyone would think we were flirting with each other.”

“A pokemon battle is a pokemon battle, Raihan. It doesn’t mean anything other than what it is.” 

“Come on, Xolia, I know you’re playing dumb. A pokemon battle is a hell of a way to get feelings across to someone else. I can feel it every time we lock eyes. There’s a connection. I hope you’ll stop denying that sometime soon, so we can actually enjoy each other’s company outside of the arena.” I glanced away from him. It’s true, I did avoid Raihan outside of the arena because he came on so strong. I didn’t want some sort of scandal like Oliva always talked about happening. The last thing I needed was to bring shame to the title of Champion… or hurt Leon in any way. A scandal would just reflect poorly on Galar right now. “Huh, wait, are you a…”

“Am I what?”

“A virgin?”

My entire face turned red, to the bursting point. “T-That’s entirely inappropriate!” 

Raihan began laughing. “Oh my god, you are!  _ That’s  _ why you play hard-to-get. Listen. I have a bit of experience with matters of the body. Maybe not so much matters of the heart, but I’m not just wanting to screw around with you, y’know? My offer is serious!” He wiped a tear from his eye, pushing away from me. “I won’t force you into anything, but I’ve been told I’m a good kisser. If you want to try it sometime, feel free to just grab me and pull me in. Doesn’t matter who’s around, I’ll lay it on you right then and there.” 

Raihan really needed to watch how he worded sentences. They came out way more perverted than she could handle. “T-Thank you for the offer, Raihan, but I don’t think that will be necessary.” 

“It most definitely will not be.” We both turned to see Olivia standing in front of the elevator doors with a strict, angry look on her face. To be honest, what was new? “You’re lucky I didn’t let in any of the press to see this. They’d eat this interaction like sharks. No romantic activity outside of a relationship. You don’t want a negative reputation.”

“Jeez, Olivia, live a little! Xolia here needs someone to teach her some…  _ lessons. _ ” Raihan winked, his words oozing sexual energy. I could do nothing but press myself against the lockers, my face flushing even more deeply. Why on earth would he say things like that in front of people? In front of anyone?! I was getting second-hand embarrassment. I’d die if he made me blush any more! 

“You can leave now, Raihan. Remember, you both have all of the children in the world watching you. Especially you, Xolia. You need your reputation to remain innocent.” 

“I understand.” 

Raihan glanced back and forth between Olivia and me, before he settled on my face with a warm smile. “I’ll be waiting if you do decide to show up, alright?” I swore I felt him brush against me as he left, too close for comfort. It was only when he left that I realized he didn’t tell me  _ where  _ he’d be. I couldn’t speak out about it now. 

“Get some rest, Xolia. I’ll be at my apartment if you need me. You have a busy day tomorrow. I just came to tell you to be ready for nine A.M.” With that, without even waiting for a response, the elevator doors closed on Olivia and Raihan, leaving me alone in the stadium’s waiting room. I heard the lights for the stadium power off, and I looked out into absolute darkness, in the direction of the pitch. This had been my life for the past month. It had almost become routine. Every few days, I was given time to go out into the wild zone and train my pokemon. Those two nights were the best, especially considering how happy everyone was when I made food for them. 

I knew my pokemon were sleeping away in their Pokeballs, probably exhausted after all of the fighting they had to go through today. As I began to take off my bag and my uniform, something fell onto the floor with a  _ clink.  _ I picked it up, and, to my surprise, it was a hotel key- with a number. I sighed. That fool. How the hell was Raihan supposed to get into his room without it? I couldn’t just let him sleep outside of his room all night. I walked out into the common area of my suite, putting my key into the elevator and selecting the first floor. It was a rather smart system, seeing as Olivia and I were the only ones with a key to get upstairs. The elevator rattled to life and before I knew it, I was on the first floor. There wasn’t really anyone there, other than the janitor. 

“Bye, Terry!” I waved to him. He nodded at me before resuming his work. He didn’t speak much, but he did a good job. As I rushed down the stairs, I noted that the shops that were usually here had been dismantled. They ran out of stock pretty quickly, so they were planning on making a different attraction- maybe some kind of festival featuring all of the gym leaders and the champion. Olivia took care of those things, so I didn’t really sit in on the meetings. There were a few people looking off the side of the bridge, but I couldn’t see their faces and they didn’t pay much attention to me. It was late, so there weren’t any children out and about. I quickly headed down the back lane next to the river, hoping that there wouldn’t be anyone there. 

There were only a few people walking their pokemon, but the darkness claimed everything in view save for a couple of silhouettes. I finally got to the hotel without much trouble. There wasn’t anyone in the lobby, so I thought about the number. “That would be floor four, right…?” I clicked the button on the elevator and it rose. 

As I poked my head out of the elevator, I saw something I didn’t, in a million years, ever expect to see. 

It was Leon! He hadn’t come to challenge me in so long. I stepped forward to greet him, but he was with someone else. 

“I wanted to speak to you, Leon.” It was… Olivia? That made no sense unless they knew each other from when Leon was champion. I watched as Olivia wrapped her arms around Leon’s neck and moved in and... That wasn’t talking. I stared at them as Olivia pushed Leon into his room, closing the door behind them. 

I moved back to the elevator, numb. I didn’t know how to process what I just saw as the escalator moved. Olivia was  _ kissing  _ Leon. She knew how I felt about him. I was  _ mortified.  _ How long had this been going on…? How long had Leon and Olivia been doing this behind my back?

I guess… I didn’t have any right to question that. It wasn’t like Leon  _ belonged  _ to me or anything. He rejected me. That was where we stood. So  _ why  _ the hell did seeing him with another woman hurt so badly? I slid down the wall as the elevator dinged and I looked up to see the doors open. Raihan stepped in, kneeling down on one knee.

“Woah, Xolia. I’ve never seen you cry before. Are you alright?” He brushed a tear from my cheek with a soft gentleness, something I never would have expected from someone who battles so explosively. 

“I’m fine, Raihan,” I lied, giving him a small smile. 

“No, you’re not. Come on, get up. We’re going to my room.” He helped me up by pulling my arm, although I felt weak and didn’t want to move. “I’m not just gonna pull you all the way, you know? If you keep resisting me, I’ll just carry you there.” 

I blushed at the thought of anyone catching Raihan and I in a position like that. “W-Wait, no! I’ll come, I’ll come, just don’t carry me!” 

He gave me a gentle smile, and motioned for me to follow him.


	5. Chapter 5

I sat in Raihan’s room, on one of the couches, as he placed his key down in a bowl near the door. He came over to me, sitting down on the other side, a ways away from me. “Thanks for bringing me my key. I was just going to get one for myself, when I found you crying in the elevator. You gonna tell me  _ why,  _ by the way?” 

I didn’t even know how to begin. I couldn’t tell him it was because of Olivia and Leon. They might want to keep their relationship secret, after all, and I couldn’t bring myself to potentially upset Raihan by doing so. It wouldn’t be fair to him, especially after how kind he’d been. “It’s just being the champion. It gets lonely, you know?” 

“I didn’t take you for the type who’d get lonely like that, you know? You always seemed so…  _ complete.  _ It kinda made me jealous, you know? I’ve always been the type who needed recognition from people to thrive.” Wow. I didn’t expect Raihan to open up like that, especially in this way. “All the nasty comments I get… well, losing to Leon always had some of my anti-fans attacking me for being so…  _ weak. _ ” Raihan wasn’t weak at all. I struggled against beating him, every time- he always got stronger. I also knew he happened to be the only person other than me who could get as many of Leon’s pokemon to faint as possible. “Well, it sounds kinda stupid when I say it out loud like this, but you always seemed so…  _ untouchable.  _ Even to Leon, you surpassed him without a second thought. I think that made me forget you were human in the first place.” 

“Wow, I…” 

“Oh, sorry. I said it would sound stupid, but I didn’t think it would be  _ that  _ bad.” Raihan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He put on the kettle in his room, sighing before he sat back down at my side.

“It’s fine. I didn’t think people saw me as untouchable.” 

“Are you kidding me?” There was a sparkle in his eyes as he got closer. “Every battle with you is like I get lost in a void of  _ passion. _ It’s beyond anything else I’ve ever felt before. It’s like a  _ drug  _ that keeps me coming back for more. You have this…  _ aura.  _ One I’ve never felt before, even with Leon. Don’t get me wrong, fighting him was great, but you… the presence you have on the pitch is immeasurable.” 

Did people  _ really  _ see me that way? Some kind of unbeatable monolith, above everyone else? A force of nature? “I have to disagree. I love pokemon. I love pokemon battles, but above all, pokemon themselves have always been my passion. It’s true, on the field, everything else melts away and the background becomes a mix of colours. All I can see are my pokemon, and my opponent’s. The rush I get every time my pokemon and I’s interests align, the moment I see them fighting as  _ hard  _ as they possibly can for me, I realize I have to fight equally as hard for them. They’re beautiful creatures. It’s their passion alone that you see, not mine.” I wouldn’t be able to fight without my pokemon. They were doing all of the hard work, and I could tell they enjoyed it. They lived for moments on the pitch, strong opponents that pushed them to their limits. 

“A humble champion, huh? Hop wasn’t like that at all, neither was Leon. They had a habit of bragging about their exploits, about telling people all about how they were going to beat them.” I recalled that. I also watched the moment I crushed Hop’s hopes and dreams with my own hands and then crushed his heart after the match. It kept plaguing my nightmares. 

_ “I love you, Xolia. I swore I would tell you if I won… but I kinda lost to you, so I figure there’s no better time. It was such an exhilarating battle, and you put your all into it! It would be unfair if I didn’t return the favour!” _

_ Standing before Hop, seeing his tired eyes, the smile on his face more a breaking hope. He was begging for a response. He was on his last thread. That final loss… even though he’d never won against me, this was one win he was sure he would get. So positive that I felt the same way that he just charged ahead without thinking.  _

_ “I’m sorry, Hop. The only thing in my life I have love for is my mother and my pokemon.” I thought that would be easier to say, easier to hear, than ‘I’m in love with your brother, and I’ve never felt that way about you.’ I was wrong. The look on his face was just emptiness. He walked away without a word, and I haven’t seen him since.  _

He hadn’t called. I don’t think he’d be showing up for my birthday, either. We spent every birthday, up until now, together. It was in a month. I hoped he would. I wanted to apologize. I looked at Raihan, and he stared back. “What? You’re pretty quiet tonight.” 

“Raihan, is that offer still on the table?” I knew it was a bad idea to give in right now, but I wanted to feel someone else near me. I wanted my life to be  _ more  _ than Leon, Hop and Pokemon. I wanted to do something dangerous, something stupid, something totally unlike me. 

“Wh- wait, I was just joking about that, you know? You don’t need to force yourself-” I leaned in, kissing him on the lips gently. Now it was his turn to blush. “Listen, if you’re just doing this because you’re sad, then it’s a good idea to stop. I’m still a guy, you know, and I won’t be able to hold back if you’re pushing me like this. I don’t want to take advantage of you.” He was technically the second guy I’ve kissed in my life, and the kiss was disturbingly similar to how it’d been with Leon. He wasn’t saying  _ stop.  _ He said that we  _ could  _ stop. 

I brought him in again, and this time, he pulled back. “Fine. If that’s the way you want it, then it’s my duty to show you a good time.” He pushed me back, getting on top of me, pinning my arms with one hand. He grinned as he brought his face closer, and I could feel how hot his breath was as he kissed me again. This one was full of passion. I could only describe it in my mind as a full-bloom flower. His lips were moving against mine hungrily, a heat building inside me that I couldn’t describe.

All I could say, was,

“ _ Wow. _ ” 

He broke out into laughter, letting go of my wrists, but not getting off of me. “Huh. I didn’t expect that to be your first word after a great make-out.”

“You’re right. You’re really good at it.” 

“And seeing as, clearly, you enjoyed it, I’m reissuing that joke invitation. Lay one on me anytime, even in the middle of a fight. That’d be kinda hot, actually.” It was my turn to laugh, tears pooling in my eyes as I imagined breaking from a serious championship fight just to do something like that on the pitch. “What? It would, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t think something like this is appropriate for our fans.” 

“Really? Well, we could take a selfie and find out.” 

The thought made me curious. What  _ would  _ people think of me kissing Raihan? I had an innocent reputation, and, as Olivia said, Raihan’s was a little dubious due to all of his flings. It was common for him to be spotted out on the streets with a girl, but he  _ seemed  _ serious about this. “Okay, let’s do it.” 

“Alright, Rotom!” His phone came buzzing out of his pocket, floating around him in the air. “Take a good pic, okay?” He pulled me in for another passionate, lengthily kiss, all while Rotom floated around us, having the time of its life. As he pulled away, we both laughed again. We swiped through his photos, deciding which ones to keep and which ones should be deleted. “I think this one looks the best. How about you?” 

“I like this one too. Let’s post it.” Three, two, one. It was up on Raihan’s social media within seconds. I didn’t really have any social media since Olivia handled all of mine. “It’s good! But, I have to go. I have something to do in the morning, and you know how Olivia is when I’m not following her schedule perfectly.” 

“I should walk you back.” It was a pleasant surprise that Raihan would offer something like that.

“Oh, um, of course! I’d really like that.” We walked into the cool night air, chasing each other around, playing a game of tag. It took us a while to get back, as we stopped for food at a 24/7 restaurant as well. It was pretty empty, but we both ordered cheeseburgers and fries. 

“God, I  _ love  _ cheat days.” 

“Cheat days?” 

“Mmhm. I work out so much that I totally forget to eat sometimes. And, I can’t always eat greasy food like this. It’s great when I can, though!” Raihan was…  _ amazing.  _ In every sense of the word. I didn’t know why his reputation was so skewered, though, out of all of the gym leaders. I could feel my heart moving, piece by piece, from Leon, to someone  _ new.  _ It was like a breath of fresh air. One I sorely needed. Maybe… this made Leon and Olivia being together  _ okay.  _

And that was all I wanted to feel. Okay. Hell, I felt great. As we ate and talked, I found out that Raihan shared a lot of similar interests to me. He had a bit of a tough life growing up, but he felt like that made him a better trainer. His parents didn’t really acknowledge him, which is why he wanted nothing more than to come out on top and prove that he was worth looking at. 

“You’re so easy to talk to, Xolia, now that we’re not on the pitch. I’ve told you more tonight than I have anyone else in my entire life, and I didn’t even mean to- I saw you crying, and I wanted to let you know that other people cry too, I guess. Sorry for making it about me.” 

“It’s alright, Raihan. I really enjoyed tonight. I… I hope you wouldn’t mind me asking if I could see you again.”

His eyes widened as his jaw slowly opened. “A-Alright! Of course! I’d love to! Wow! Um, do you want my number?” He was so…  _ cute.  _ So confident, and yet so unsure. As we exchanged numbers, I looked up at my arena. 

“Guess it’s time for us to part ways.” 

“Give me a call when you’re done work tomorrow. I’ll take you out,  _ properly  _ this time.” I nodded. It was a little awkward as neither of us was sure what to do next, but Raihan took control and gave me a kiss on the forehead- the most innocent thing to happen tonight so far. We both blushed, looking away from each other. “A-Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned, and I watched him walk away. He waved without looking back, as anyone would expect someone as cool as Raihan to do.

The second piece for a recipe to disaster was set in place. Little did I know, I had triggered a series of events that would leave me scrambling to get  _ away  _ from everyone and everything I knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you think about Raihan! I'm just going with my gut instincts on how to write him, but I'd like more thoughts other than my own!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Single vague mention of sexual assault.

“What the _fuck_ have you done?!” I woke up to an ungodly screech from Olivia. Charmander Leon was sleeping by my side, lazily rolling over and burying its head under a pillow in hopes of ignoring her. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You’ve started a FUCKING shitstorm! One of our biggest sponsors pulled their investments _and_ cancelled everything they had planned for you! We’re at a _huge_ loss in funds and work on the battle tower has been halted!” I sprung up, my shock causing Leon to tumble out of bed. He groaned, face-down on the floor, before letting out a loud snore. 

“What?!” 

“Being involved with _Raihan,_ of _everyone_ you could have gone and taken picture proof of?! Do you know about the _scandal_ this has caused?”

“It was just a picture, it shouldn’t have-” I paused, staring as _actual_ Leon came up behind Olivia.

“Olivia, get out.”

“L-Leon,” She stuttered before he moved her to the side. “Listen, I-”

“I said, _get out._ If you have any respect for me whatsoever, then you will. Then we can talk about last night.” He glared at her. I was getting mixed signals from them. Most of all, I stared at Leon. He was looking at me. He was a few steps away from me. My interest in Raihan was a thing of the past. Olivia left the room, a bitter look on her face, closing the door behind her. I wanted to greet him, but the look on his face was scary. “I don’t know _why_ you made the choice to do what you did. I don’t know what you thought it would do for you. Was that picture aimed at me? Was it aimed at Hop? No, that doesn’t matter.” He advanced, and I scooched backward. 

“I don't understand. I don’t know what I did wrong!” 

“You are _still a child,_ Xolia! Raihan is _four years older than you!_ That’s only the first thing that comes to mind out of the hundreds of other reasons! Have you been paying attention to his reputation at _all?_ ”

“Reputation doesn’t matter! Raihan is kind!” 

“Raihan is a great guy. A great guy to be friends with. A great guy to battle with. Fuck, he’s even a great rival and a wonderful gym leader.” Leon pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. “But he’s not the type of person you want to mess around with, _especially_ if you’re female!”

“I’m not just a child anymore, Leon! I’m eighteen. I’m almost _nineteen!_ I make my own choices. When will you stop treating me like I need to be protected?”

“Because you _do!_ ” He roared, rage filling him to the point where it was painted on his face. “You have _no_ idea about what Raihan does in his free time.”

“Then tell me! Give me a reason why you’re so angry at me!”

“So you haven’t seen yet.” Leon pulled out his phone, opening up a news article. 

**Raihan’s affair with the wife of a politician revealed! Mistress… or something more?**

“What…?” I stared at it, dejected. This… couldn’t be right, could it?

“This has been going on for longer than you’ve been champion. Much longer. It started when Raihan and I became rivals. He’s been with her _that_ long, Xolia. What do you think that means? In fact, the woman came _clean_ about her relationship with him and moved to divorce her husband for him. _Just_ this morning.” Leon sighed, but my phone beeped. Before I could grab it, he snatched it off of the nightstand, and, seeing it was someone who he was clearly mad at, he called the number.

“Xolia, am I ever glad you called-”

“Stop, Raihan.”

“Leon?” 

“You’re not going to deceive her. If you even so much as fucking _look_ at her again, I’ll beat the shit out of you. This is coming from the heart; I care about you as a friend, but Xolia is like a little sister to me.” The words hit hard, and my heart took critical, super-effective damage. “I won’t let anyone hurt her, least of all some woman-hopping scum like you.” He hung up on Raihan and deleted the number and all of the messages. “He shouldn’t bother you any longer.”

“Did I _ask_ for your help, Leon?” My charmander’s head raised, and it began a slow crawl over to where I was, dreading having to wake up so early. “Did I tell you I wanted you to talk to Raihan like that using _my_ name? And when did you dub yourself my knight in shining armour anyways, huh?!” 

Leon looked surprised as if he didn’t expect me to lash out. “I’m only trying to-”

“Keep me from getting hurt? Well, thanks for nothing, Leon! You already took care of hurting me the moment you rejected me. Watching you and Olivia getting it on in the hotel hallway didn’t help either! And you know who was there when _you_ weren’t?! Raihan! So no matter what you say, I don’t care about your opinion anymore! You’re… not welcome in my heart! So leave me the hell alone! I never want to see you again!” Charmander Leon had reached me by now. I grabbed my back and hoisted my bag over my shoulder while a speechless, dumbfounded Leon watched me go. Charmander waddled after me eagerly, sensing a trip to the wild area. I rushed past Olivia, who tried to stop me. 

“Wait, you’re not thinking about skipping your appointment, right? You want to help Leon, don’t you?”

“Save it for someone who cares, Olivia! You’re fired!” 

“What?!” 

“I’m not going to sit here like a good little girl and watch you and Leon salivate over one another! You can have him, for all I care! You deserve each other!” I took the elevator down, the doors closing before a shocked, white-faced Olivia. I rushed out of the entrance, throwing Joy out into a crowd of reporters, who scattered. I mounted him, holding on to his mane. Charmander Leon bit onto his tail, which was something Joy had gotten used to. “Take me somewhere far, far away from here, Joy, and don’t stop running no matter what!” Flames surrounded Joy’s feet as he prepared a move. Leon rushed out of the building just in time to see Joy take off, bounding away at a speed he couldn’t follow on his feet.

Olivia was behind him. “Leon, please. After the way things happened last night-”

“You and I have been over for months, Olivia. You _dumped_ me after I stopped making money for you- when I lost the title of Champion. Suddenly, you’re all over me again now that the Battle Tower is doing better than anyone could’ve ever imagined. _Save it._ ” He turned away from her, throwing out Charizard and flying high into the sky. 

Olivia sat down on the steps, her head hanging as she wondered where everything went wrong. All she had was this job. She’d ostracized her family, she didn’t have any friends. Nobody other than Leon had ever given her a chance, and she fucked that up too. Now, the Champion wanted nothing to do with her as well. She didn’t know how she’d go about fixing this. She’d never worked a day in her life for free, but…

“Olivia, would you care to comment on this?” She looked up at one of the reporters, and tears began to dribble down her face. She had an idea that would help Xolia, and hopefully, get her in both of the people she’d made angry’s good graces again. 

“Raihan took advantage of the Champion. It’s _awful._ He’s always been a womanizer, but she was just so innocent- I warned her not to go. I _told_ her. But he just-” She stifled a fake sob. “He just did what he wanted with her. He _assaulted her_. Please, leave the Champion be- It’s such an emotional moment for her right now. You can’t imagine what she’s going through.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes, Olivia


	7. Chapter 7

I had set up my camp in the middle of the rock formation on the Lake of Outrage. Nobody would be able to traverse this stretch of water, and they wouldn’t want to unless they were insane. Many aggressive, vicious pokemon made the lake their home, both in the water and on the isle itself. Leon had my phone, so nobody would be able to track me down, even if they wanted to. There was a berry tree on this island and with the help of some of my pokemon from the portable PC, I was able to grow as many as I needed to feed everyone. Rather than wild Pokemon, the island had now been overtaken by my strongest, protecting my weakest. Many Pokemon had fled, not wanting to fight four rather strong Onix.

Still, it was my own little slice of paradise. It was mine, and mine alone. It gave me a lot of time to think about everything. Raihan, Leon, Olivia. I think I treated Leon and Olivia unfairly, honestly. They were only worried about me. It wasn’t like Leon had any reason to answer to me on the matters of his own romance, but I got carried away by my feelings and wound up saying something I regretted. As for Olivia, well… she was difficult to please, but she  _ always  _ brought out the best in me, and she always kept her word. She was a human being, too. With the way she always threw herself into work, I wondered if she was actually lonely. 

I’d also stood Raihan up, and I gave no explanation for anything. God, I was such an  _ awful  _ person with the way I’d reacted a week ago. I’m sure everyone was beside themselves with worry. “What do you think, Charmander Leon? Should we go back today?” He  _ brrr’d  _ against my leg, shivering. I suppose we kind of  _ had  _ to. I was running out of curry rations, for one, and while berries were great, they weren’t exactly the best food all on their own. Especially considering the amount of Pokemon I had been feeding. 

I moved to get up, and my thoughts ran to Raihan. Something I’d been trying to avoid. That article… he’d been with that married woman. He was a homewrecker. Just like my father. Although, the roles were reversed. I wasn’t sure how I’d face him, or if I’d face him at all. Did I have the strength to? It wouldn’t be  _ nearly  _ as bad as facing Leon after what I said to him. My face burned with the strength of a thousand suns as I crouched down, hiding it. Maybe I  _ shouldn’t  _ return. Who am I kidding…? I needed to leave Outrage eventually. It was always here if I needed another escape, and I doubted anyone would find me. I clapped my hands, loudly, and my pokemon’s attention was caught. 

“All right, guys. It’s been a  _ great  _ week and I’m sure you’re all happy with your vacation time. We’ll do it again sometime, but I need you all to line up to get back in your Pokeballs!” I was met with groans and cries of protest, but they did as I asked, begrudgingly. I was down to Joy and Leon. I offered the Pokeball to Joy, who nudged it. He went in without much protest, being one of my closest friends. I turned to Leon. “Ready to go?” 

_ “Char!” _

I took that as a sign of agreement. Thirty minutes later, and I was on my way to the arena I called home. It was a pretty quick journey, all things considered, and I found myself on the steps in no time. As I walked through the doors, I almost bumped straight into Olivia. She stared at me for a moment, before pulling me into the elevator as fans tried to swarm me, asking questions that I couldn’t hear. “You missed me that much?” 

“It’s just… much easier to have you all to myself in an elevator. I’d like to-”

“Save your words, Olivia. I want to apologize. It was out of place for me to lash out at you in the way I did. I have no right to dictate your, or Leon’s, relationships. I understand that what you did for me was out of care. I had a lot of time to think about it.” She looked surprised as if she wasn’t expecting me to apologize, but I had more than enough time to think about everything and it wasn’t that hard to come to a proper conclusion. “I’m prepared to work as hard as ever if you’d be my agent- and manager- again.” 

“Really?” She wasn’t nearly as harsh or as pushy as she usually was. “Thank you for your apology, Xolia. I shouldn’t have reacted nearly as badly as I did to the scandal. It just took a change of view… to shift the circumstances a little, and bring us back from the red. I managed to get the favour of our fans in order, and our campaign is stronger than ever. We have calls through the roof.”

“Really? I knew you were an amazing agent! You promised me from day one that you were the sole best agent in the world, but now I know it’s true.” She gave me a smile, before sighing. 

“Listen, I understand that you’ve had a bad go of it for a long while now. If you’re looking for a relationship, then you can’t just date anyone. Your image is  _ everything  _ in our business.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. I didn’t know anything about this prior to being crowned champion.

“Well, at the very least, they must be a gym leader or a challenger who made it to the championships. You are  _ the  _ Champion. You can’t do anything without a pair of eyes on you at all times- you’re the future of this nation, its strength and its hope. You are meant to protect it and help it forward. Not to mention, your beau needs to appease your fans and make them hungry for more- I will select someone for you and you’ll meet them tomorrow. I’ll clear any battles and commercial shoots scheduled just for this.” 

“But I-” 

“No buts.” She was back to being her usual, pushy self. It wasn’t bad, per se. Maybe this was just the kind of direction I needed to take to stop myself from thinking about Leon… and Raihan. “You don’t need to like them, you just need to date them.” I understood where she was coming from. Even if I didn’t like them, it would be a nice distraction, at least. It would be another step on my way to being…  _ okay.  _ Like I thought I’d been when I was with Raihan. It turns out… he was just like my father, and I didn’t want to introduce someone like that to my mother. I hadn’t heard from her in a while. 

“Hey, Olivia, could you get me a new phone? I don’t know what Leon did with mine, but I’m sure Raihan has that number, and I don’t want to deal with that right now.” I’d formulated my own opinion of Raihan. He was nice. But… that article showed me who he really was. 

“Of course. I’ll put in an order for one right now, and it’ll be in by the end of the day.” She clicked a button to the suite. For the most part, I spent my afternoon and night upstairs, getting situated to being out of the wilderness. I’d been away from the internet for so long, and I didn’t have a PC here. I was left with more thoughts, which wandered to the three men in my life that made it complicated, but I shook it off. I wondered who Olivia would set me up with. Allistair was popular with the ladies, but he was only seventeen, so it probably wasn’t him. The only ones remotely close to my age were Leon and Raihan, much to my annoyance. Piers was twenty-four, and that would be  _ weird.  _ Dating Marnie’s brother? We had certainly grown close, but I didn’t think our friendship was close enough to weather that. Besides, he was six years older than me. The only other person I could think of was Bede, but there was  _ no way in hell  _ he’d ever accept a request like that from me, of all people. He’d certainly chilled out, but not enough that he’d take any interest in me as anything else other than a champion. 

So, it was much to my surprise, when, in the morning, I was sitting across from the curly-haired boy who sipped down a milkshake while staring at me intensely, his curious eyes moving up and down to observe my body. The way he did it was loud, too, as if he were making it  _ known.  _ “So… I didn’t expect  _ you,  _ of all people, to play the coy game. Could’ve just told me all on your own.” 

“I didn’t really expect to be here, honestly. I thought you’d reject my offer right away.” 

Bede paused. “Is that what you think of me?” 

“Well, we haven’t spoken, other than during pokemon battles…” 

He laughed, brazenly, much to my surprise. “Listen, Xolia. I’m the handsome Fairy-type gym leader, alright? I’ve got girls lined up out the door looking for a piece of me. But,” He sighed, shaking his head, “They wouldn’t have even looked at me twice before being picked by the chairman for the championships. You, however, took me seriously. You fought against me. You didn’t seek anything more and even when I lost to you, twice in a row, fighting against you was both frustrating and exhilarating.” 

“Which is why you crashed the finals and derailed everything?”

“No, I just wanted to see your face, honestly.” 

“Of course you did.”

“But, if this is a serious offer, consider me your boyfriend from now on.”

“Wait, what?” How could he so  _ casually  _ agree to something like this? This didn’t sound like him at all.

“Being the Fairy-type gym leader and Opal’s endless trivia torture has reformed the way I look at things, Xolia. I’m a changed man who doesn’t destroy precious landmarks anymore. Hell, I think I’m a catch, and frankly, being the Champion’s boyfriend doesn’t sound too bad. Besides, it’s not like you’re boring, and you have a good body. I could stand taking you to bed.” 

“Excuse me?” I flushed bright red. “W-We’re in public!” 

“So you’re not denying me taking you to bed?” Bede rose an eyebrow. “How naughty. But, are you sure you’re up for this after what happened to you last week?” 

“What do you mean?” 

He set down his glass, frowning. “Well… this is awkward. I figured you wouldn’t be ready for a relationship after what must’ve been an awful experience like that.”

“Like what?”

“You know, like when… he did that to you.”

“Who, Leon?”

“No… Raihan.”

“Excuse me? What did Raihan do to me? All we did was kiss. And then we took a selfie of us kissing. And then, we got food and he walked me home.”

“Oh, my.” Bede leaned forward, sighing. “Seems like you’re way more interesting than I thought. Well, you should clear up your confusion with that agent of yours. Something tells me that you don’t know yet, and it’s not really my place to intervene…” He slid out of the booth, walking toward the door. 

“Wait, Bede, you can’t just leave without telling me!”

“I  _ might _ be inclined to tell you… if it were my business.”

“Do you always have to be so frustrating?” 

“Well, there’s a way you can make it my business.” He tapped his lips, grinning at me. “Make it official and seal it with a kiss.” 

“Wh- are you teasing me?” I was baffled by how  _ arrogant  _ Bede still was. Could this even be called arrogance? “How would me kissing you make anything your business?”

“Well, because then you’d be my girlfriend. And I’d go out of my way to make your problems mine.” Bede came closer. “I dare you to do it.” 

I rolled my eyes. I had already kissed two guys. What was a third in comparison? I stood on my tippy toes, gently pressing my lips to Bede’s. He backed up, his face flushing, eyes wide. “Hey! You can’t just act like that  _ after  _ you asked me to do it!” 

“I-I didn’t expect you to do it! And especially not in public! G-Geez! You could have a little more shame!” Was he kidding himself? “A-Anyways, now you have to be my girlfriend!” How  _ childish  _ could he be? Was he really going by kindergarten rules? “B-But, since you fulfilled my request, I  _ suppose  _ I can tell you. Olivia totally told everyone that you were raped by Raihan.” 

“Wh-” My mind went blank for a second. I stared at Bede. He stared back. 

“For clarification, it’s not like if you did or didn’t it would change my opinion of you, you know. So don’t… worry about me or anything.” He looked away, blushing furiously. 

“That’s not what I’m worried about at the moment. I have to go, Bede.” I brushed past him. It was time to give Olivia a piece of my mind. “Sorry. We’ll pick this up another time.” 

“Whatever you say, Xolia. Remember- you’re my girlfriend! So… I’ll call you. And you better come when I call!” He watched as I left the building. Bede sat back in the booth before his head hit the table. His entire face was red as he replayed the moment in his head. He normally  _ avoided  _ girls. He thought they were annoying, for the most part. Xolia was so shameless! It wasn’t like it was  _ unwelcome,  _ though, and he did technically ask for it, but he expected her to be more…  _ shy.  _

He made a resolution. One of these days, he’d get the upper hand on Xolia and she’d be the one banging her head against a table and blushing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far, my plans for the guys are coming to fruition.
> 
> Leon - Mature, Overprotective, Possessive, Sexy, Hard to say what he feels, puts others first and tries to give everyone a chance  
> Raihan - Sexy, Teasing, Sweet, confident, knows what he wants and goes for it  
> Bede - Shy, Cute, Teasing, childish, a little bit of a bully, doesn't know how to be affectionate sometimes and replaces affection with teasing  
> Hop - Sweet, honest, genuine, tends to give everything his all  
> Piers - Kinky, sexy, hot, has trouble acknowledging his feelings and understanding them, pretty much horny all the time
> 
> Whaddya think?   
> I'm really enjoying writing this, though. Thanks to everyone who has commented and given Kudos!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has more dialogue than the others, and is mostly conversation-based!   
> There's a discord link at the end-note if you wanna join and come talk or something!

I stormed into the building, looking for Olivia, but she was nowhere to be found. How could she  _ say  _ something like that? What on earth had gone through her head and made her think that saying that about Raihan was a good idea?! I didn’t  _ understand  _ her. Just when I thought she was a good person, she proved the exact opposite in the worst of ways. I marched into my suite, faceplanted onto my bed and screamed.

“Interesting you can go on dates and scream into your pillow while my career is suffering from fake rape allegations.” My head shot up. Raihan stepped out of a corner in my room, bruised and bloodied. He had a black eye and a cut lip, and the bruises just kept going from there.

“Oh my god, Raihan!” I hopped off my bed and rushed toward him, but he put up his hand, separating us. 

“You  _ understand  _ why I don’t want you around me, right? I just came to get those  _ false _ accusations cleared up.” 

“I just want to know what  _ happened  _ to you.” 

“Why are you acting like you care?” His words were bitter and they stung. I’d almost forgot why I didn’t want to speak to him, that he was like my father… but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t write him off. I needed to right this wrong. I couldn’t just leave it like this. “This is  _ your  _ fault.”

“Raihan, please. You’re  _ injured. _ ” I gestured to my bed. He stared at me for a moment, before begrudgingly, and clearly painfully, sitting down. “Please, tell me what happened to you.” 

“You really don’t know?” He questioned, before sighing. He pulled his shirt over his head, revealing bruises all over his body.

“Oh my god, Raihan…” His expression was awful. He looked tired as if he hadn’t gotten sleep since the night I last saw him. There were wounds  _ everywhere.  _ Oh, god, the injuries. “Seriously, tell me what happened.” Although it was in his right to dodge the question, asking three times was beginning to tire me out. Luckily for me, he finally answered. 

“When Leon saw what Olivia said, live, for the world to see, he beat the shit out of me. Right while I was in the middle of a fucking gym match, thank you very much. There’s hate mobs calling for me to be fired, Xolia. People are attacking me on social media.” He shivered, withholding a sob. “My own parents fucking disowned me. I’m an  _ inch  _ away from losing my job. They’ve got to find a qualified replacement first, and people aren’t doing the gym challenge anymore in protest of me still being a gym leader. Our country’s main source of income is fucked, and all of the other gym leaders are getting real sick of me sticking around.” 

“Oh my god.” My voice trembled. I couldn’t  _ imagine  _ how painful it was for everyone to turn on him like that. Tears began to stream from my eyes. He had my utmost sympathy. He looked up at me, eyes wide. The corner of his mouth stretched into a small smile as he wiped away my tears.

“Geez, it’s supposed to be you comforting me, not the other way around.” 

“I-I’m sorry. I should’ve stayed. I shouldn’t have run away from the scandal.” 

“...It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” I shook my head, putting my hand on Raihan’s arm. He winced. It was hard not to touch a bruised place. “No matter whether or not you slept with another man’s wife or not, that doesn’t mean you deserve this.”

“Wh- oh. You mean that…” Raihan looked away. “I was begging you to call me, you know. With all those texts I was sending. When Leon picked up the phone, I thought it was you, and I was happy I’d have a chance to explain myself.” 

“Explain yourself…? So you…  _ didn’t  _ sleep with her?”

Raihan winced again, but not because of physical pain. “For the longest time, I did. She said she’d be my sugar momma. And… she was. But, she had a nasty jealous streak. Bad things happened to girls I… well, you know. So, I cut it off with her. I  _ tried  _ to be discreet about being with women, and there were still problems, so I stopped for a while. I thought it was finally over, and I had a thing for you.” That made a  _ lot  _ of sense. Raihan’s social media wasn’t filled with other people. He rarely posted anything on it that wasn’t him, and even then, the only people who caught him were the paparazzi. “So… I tried to see where that would take me, and trust me, I thought she wouldn’t do anything- but she went  _ full  _ psycho, telling me that she wanted to get hitched and that if I didn’t marry her she’d ruin you.”

“What?  _ How? _ ”

“The scandal.” 

“Did you refuse her?” 

“Yeah, and look where that got me.” He allowed me to apply ointment to his bruises. I softly rubbed the purplish-hued spots. He didn’t protest much, although I could tell it hurt. “I look like a Cherrim.” 

“Come on, it’s not that bad. Also, you’re lacking a little bit of green.” 

“Yeah, but I think Leon has that part covered.” I paused, pulling away from him. He chuckled. “What? You really think a guy who  _ isn’t  _ into you would come and do this to someone on  _ live T.V.,  _ where they can be most likely arrested-- with proof? And I’d be able to sue, too.”    


“Please don’t sue,” Were the first words to slip out of my mouth. He burst into laughter, before recoiling in pain as he slapped his knee- likely where one of his wounds were. 

“Oh, Xolia, I wouldn’t sue Leon. His heart is in the right place. I’d have done the same thing to someone if they  _ did  _ do that to you. The guy would be in a hell of a lot worse state than me, though. I think Leon went easy on me.” 

“If this is Leon going easy, I’d be scared to see Leon going  _ hard. _ ” I sighed, thinking about the future interaction I would have to have with both Olivia and Leon. 

“Dreading the moment where you have to face your jealous boyfriend-wannabe?” I grabbed a pillow and chucked it at Raihan, whose arms shot up to catch it. His entire body went stiff as he just collapsed onto the bed, groaning. “Ugggh… that was a bad choice of action. I shouldn’t have moved so fast.” 

“Leon doesn’t want to be  _ anything  _ with me. Trust me, after  _ years  _ of pining, I would know.” 

“So… you’re telling me you like Leon?” I froze. That was the one thing I didn’t want Raihan knowing. I wished that I could just lie to him and tell him that wasn’t real, but Raihan had  _ always  _ been honest and kind to me. That was no way to repay his efforts. 

“I do. But I don’t want to anymore. I’ve tried for  _ so  _ long, and I’m so sick of it. It’s why I want to move on. I want my heart to have more room for things other than Hop and Leon. I’ve already made mistakes that ruined my friendship with Hop, and I don’t want it to go down the same path with Leon.” Although, there was no guarantee it hadn’t already, after everything I’d said to him. He still did what he did to Raihan because he  _ thought  _ Raihan hurt me. Why was Leon so stupid? Didn’t he see what his helicopter overprotectiveness was doing to me? It was so… confusing. 

“I see. Thanks for being honest with me, at least.” Raihan’s smile was bittersweet, and I couldn’t help but feel I’d hurt him in some way. Our eyes locked, and his grin stretched wider. “Relax, Xolia. I’m not  _ that  _ breakable, am I? I mean, look at me. The whole world is my enemy right now, and I’m still alive. Besides- you kissed me. I’d say that’s a win against my rival Leon.” 

His optimism was almost infectious. I hoped that someday, I’d be able to see the world in the way Raihan did. Maybe then, I’d grow more of a backbone. “Don’t worry, Raihan, I swear that we’ll fix this. Olivia should be back at any time, and then we’ll clear things up.” 

I heard the sound of something hitting the ground, and Raihan and I both turned to see Leon with a burning rage in his eyes. “Raihan? Did I not give you enough of a beating already!?” He charged forward, and Raihan stood, backing away, his face turning ashen. Clearly, he remembered the last time he and Leon met face-to-face. “Might be a little harder to clean blood out of the carpet compared to the pitch.” 

I sprung to action, jumping between them, holding up my hands to prevent Leon from advancing. He stopped, confused. “Leon, please stop! Raihan has  _ never  _ hurt me in any way!” 

“What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://discord.gg/BApKkdp
> 
> Been a while since I used it, but I set it up and then I kinda just started writing and totally forgot I made it. Here you go!


	9. Chapter 9

“So, you’re telling me that he didn’t rape-” 

“I’d prefer if you didn’t use that word.” I didn’t really want to hear it, especially with the way it was ruining Raihan’s life right now. I’m sure it was the last thing he wanted to hear as well. “But I think you owe Raihan an apology.” Leon glanced at Raihan, before holding up his hand and offering it to the man.

“I’m sorry, Raihan. I hope you’ll accept my apology. I should think before I start swinging fists.” Leon smiled, and Raihan smiled back as Raihan’s hand smacked into Leon’s and they shook on it. It was as if everything was water under the bridge. “We should go out drinking later. Been a long time.” 

“Of course, man. It’s not a problem. I would’ve done the same thing in your position. What counts is that the misunderstanding is cleared up.” 

_ Wow.  _ They were both unbelievably cool about everything, despite the fact Raihan and Leon had been ready for a round two only a minute ago. I didn’t know how they were able to go from being pretty much enemies to best friends in an instant. I looked between them, and I realized there was a fluffy feeling in my heart- not only was Raihan in front of me but Leon too. Leon’s eyes met mine for a moment before he looked away in a hurry. What was  _ that?  _ He’d never done that before. I should know- most of my attention had always been locked on Leon whenever he entered the same room as me. “So, anyone know where Olivia went? I think it’s about time we cleared all of this up.” 

Leon frowned. “This is going to be tough. When an accusation like that gets out there, usually people are more intent on believing it’s true without proof and spreading it than listening when it’s not.” He crossed his arms, his eyes trained on Raihan. “Although, admittedly, I didn’t really form an opinion for myself on the entire thing. I kinda just saw red. That isn’t much of an excuse, though. I thought I… could trust Olivia’s word.”

“That’s your first mistake. I told you she was shady.” Leon burst into laughter, causing Raihan to give him a playful punch to the shoulder. “Hey, that wasn’t a joke.”

“No, but you of all people calling women  _ shady _ ? Do you not forget all of your past flings?” All conversation paused as they both turned to look at me. “Sorry. Forgot you were in the room, Xolia.” Leon looked like he was uncomfortable having me here. This was getting more awkward than I could handle. I had to get out of here before Raihan’s stupid theory made itself concrete in my mind and gave me hope. 

“It’s fine. I’m going to go look for Olivia. We need to find a way to make the statement as public as possible.”

“Even if we do, there’s no guarantee that will fix anything. Once you’re labelled a rapist, proof or not, that title is always gonna follow you.” Leon walked up to me, towering over me with the height difference. “I know you think this is gonna magically fix things, but the internet is venomous.  _ Anyone  _ can be anonymous, and they’ll use that power to hurt other people if they can. Raihan has gotten hate since he  _ started  _ being a gym leader. Now, this just gives people a glorified reason to go after him in the name of justice.”

“But that’s not real justice!” I protested, but it wouldn’t do much telling Leon that. He already knew. This was trickier than I thought. “I’m going to try anyway. Better to attempt something and see if it’ll work before giving up.” I gave both of them a slight wave and a smile, hoping that I could come out of this with a victory. It wasn’t just me who needed it, it was Raihan, too. His life had been derailed by this. As I left the room, the two looked back to one another. 

“Go on, I know you’re dying to ask.” 

“Ask what?” 

“Are you toying with me, Leon? I think you know.”

“I don’t think I do.”

“I figured you’d want to know what we  _ really  _ did behind closed doors.” Leon flinched. “Bingo.” Raihan almost backed off again when he got a glare from Leon, who clearly didn’t want to have this conversation. 

“She’s like a little sister to me, Raihan, let it go.” 

“So that means that you wouldn’t mind if I asked her to go out with me?” Raihan got closer to Leon, studying his expression carefully. “You know, Champion, you’re really hard to read. Maybe she is just a little sister to you after all. What a  _ waste  _ of sex appeal. I’d be half as lucky if she was into me  _ nearly  _ as much as she was you.” 

“Sex appeal? You’re talking about Xolia.”

“So you’re telling me you haven’t noticed her body?”

“I-” He paused. Raihan could literally see the gears in Leon’s mind turning as they worked overtime to answer that question. “Maybe. I dunno. That would be weird, wouldn’t it? Anyways, my brother’s had a thing for her for as long as I’ve seen them together, which is literally since birth. It’s an awkward question to bring up.” 

Raihan sighed, putting his hands behind his head as he grinned. “Whatever. We’ll make a proper champion out of you yet.”

“Raihan, I’m the ex-champion.” Raihan shrugged, moving to the balcony. “What do you mean by that, Raihan? Wait. Raihan! Don’t just leave without telling me what that means!” 

Downstairs, however, I stood face-to-face with Olivia. “Can I help you, champion?” 

“You can start with the truth.” Olivia shot me a puzzled look, raising her eyebrow as she tapped the screen of her phone, either playing a game like Eevee Match or sealing a new business deal. With her, you could never tell. 

“I don’t know what you mean, Xolia.” Either she was playing stupid, or Raihan’s troubles meant nothing to her, which made me even angrier. 

“You accused Raihan, falsely, of hurting me! In a way I _never_ implied to happen!” Her head snapped up, eyes wide before a mix of emotions crossed her face. I could tell her mind was moving a mile a minute. 

“You left in a hurry, freaking out at everything and everyone. I assumed something happened _. _ ” 

“Since when does someone accuse someone else on an  _ assumption!?  _ You’ve ruined Raihan’s life! I should  _ fire  _ you and for good this time!” 

She took a step back, looking at me indignantly. “I was just looking out for you. What happened to ‘ _ You care about me’ _ ? I did what I thought would be best for you. I worked, free of charge, for the past week. I’m sorry if it was wrong, what with you storming out in a huff and disappearing for a vacation.” 

I felt a pang of guilt. It was true, if I had stayed and helped Raihan through the scandal and slander, people wouldn’t be free to assume things like that and make mistakes. I saw this for what it was. My fault. “I just want you to help me fix it. That’s how you can make things right again.” 

“Fine. But, you have to do exactly  _ as I say.  _ It’s hard to help someone recover from rape allegations. It might do a number on your reputation, but if you really want this… then let’s do it.” What I didn’t know is that rather than feeling remorse, Olivia felt  _ much  _ better than I’d have wanted her to. She’d dodged my wrath through a guilt-trip, and by extension, Leon’s, and much like Charmander Leon, would bring nothing but trouble in the future. 

Which is how I ended up on the steps of the stadium, at six in the morning, for an exclusive early-morning announcement. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever had to say, in front of a crowd, for one, but at least they were all reporters. It would make me feel worse in the long run. They all waited hungrily, staring me down, equipment out as they waited for a statement. I looked to Olivia, and she only nodded. 

“I apologize to Raihan for the trouble I’ve got him into. Raihan and I didn’t do anything together. There was no assault. There was nothing between us. It was just two friends who had a talk.” 

“Then what about the picture of the kiss?” A reporter called out. 

“Sometimes, his Rotom automatically uploads photos based on quality. That was me trying to get out of the friend-zone. I was rejected.” 

“So, you tried to ruin his career with false accusations because he wouldn’t accept your advances?” It was then that Olivia took over, moving me to the side. She smiled at the reporter. 

“Sir, if you don’t remember who  _ made  _ the accusations, then you might as well stop your reporting career right here and now.  _ I  _ was the one who did so, after seeing the champion in a state of distress and running off into the wind for a week. What  _ else  _ were we to think? She was unresponsive, she left her phone, she wouldn’t talk to anyone. We were just as blind as anyone else and we took on the implications that she may have been assaulted. This is in no way the Champion’s fault, as much as it is everyone’s who loves and cares for her. It’s just proof of the people who are behind the scenes’ devotion.” Olivia’s arm went around my shoulder as she squeezed it. The reporter backed off, not knowing how to deal with Olivia’s aggressive advance. The others seemed reluctant to ask questions, seeing how thoroughly she answered and demolished any chance of a scandal. It wasn’t  _ nearly  _ as interesting for their readers, but they’d take this. “Now, assuming all your questions are over, I’m going to get the Champion ready for her next match. Let’s pray the article is out in thirty minutes, alright?” It wasn’t a question, more of a demand. The nearest reporter nodded. 

Back inside, Olivia, Raihan, and Leon stood in front of me. Leon sighed, shaking his head. “What a mess… at least Olivia found a way to fix it.” 

“It just sucks that this way is so…” Raihan sighed. 

“I’m glad I didn’t have to say it. You two shouldn’t be seen in public together for a while, and sure as hell not in private. Like that,” She snaps her fingers, “Raihan’s reputation should be sterling, and just as it was before this all began. The Champion’s is a little tarnished, but it’s mine that takes the most heat. If you guys start seeing each other in public, then both of your reputations are gone when the press figure out you lied.” 

“But you said we had no choice!” I said, confused. I didn’t  _ want  _ to lie in the first place, but…

“I said that because it’s true. If you hadn’t lied, then they’d be under the impression Raihan found a way to silence you and spin it that way. This way, they just see you as someone who took revenge for rejection. Even though it wasn’t you who made the accusation.” Olivia had fixed it, so I couldn’t blame her for anything. She did exactly as I asked, without arguing. That had to at least speak to her character, right? I couldn’t fire her now. She got me through this. As Olivia and Leon stepped away to talk, I turned to Raihan. He gave me a smile, one of his gentle, heart-melting grins. 

“So, are you Romeo, or am I?”

“What do you mean?” 

“Romeo and Juliette. Who’s the Juliette?”

“I’d rather be neither. They both die in the end.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, I can see how that’s a dealbreaker.” Both of us erupted into laughter. Across the room, Olivia snapped her fingers in Leon’s face, trying to recapture his attention.

“Leon.  _ Please  _ take me seriously when I’m talking about our future. I want another chance, and I think I’ve proved that I’m more than just a stone-cold bitch.” He glanced at her, before sighing.

“Fine.  _ One  _ more chance. One date. If you stand me up, make an excuse, get into the trouble that you usually do, it’s over. Got it?” Her eyes lit up like the fourth of July. 

“Got it.” 

Raihan got a little closer, leaning down to match my height. “Anyways, I don’t mind sneaking into your room now and again to show you a good time.” By this time, I had  _ totally  _ forgotten Bede had declared himself my boyfriend. I had kissed him for information, not love. 

“If you think you can pull it off.” It was to my surprise when none other than Bede walked up to the two of us. 

“What’s the conversation? Can I borrow my girlfriend?” 

“What?”

“What?” Leon’s thoughts echoed Raihan’s from across the room, just much more loudly. All three of us jumped as his voice boomed across the lobby. We all looked at him. He was a fair distance away. “I have good hearing.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like this chapter.   
> https://discord.gg/9VUqGdS


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER LEADS INTO MENTION OF NSFW

It was strange to be sitting across from Bede at six in the morning on a Thursday. He seemed rather alert and awake for being up so early, but I suppose it wasn’t my place to question it. He raised an eyebrow. We were at a breakfast diner. It’d just opened. Raihan and I had parted ways, with the promise that he’d come to visit me when nobody was looking. I’d have to explain to Bede that we weren’t  _ actually  _ dating. It just seemed like it. 

Again, he was sipping through a  _ really _ loud straw. How the hell did he get a milkshake so early in the morning? I swore they weren’t on the breakfast menu. He’d been staring at me, an unbroken glare as if he had something to say that he couldn’t put into words. “Wanna consummate our union?”

“Excuse me, what?” For one, I had no idea what that meant. For two, did he know what that meant? Judging by the proud look on his face, he didn’t realize how ridiculous that sounded.

“Come on, let’s be caj about this, baby.” He leaned back against the seat, putting his arms at the top. He knocked a little old lady’s head when he did, which caused him to panic, turning to her. “Oh my god, are you okay?! I’m so sorry?”

The lady turned around. It was Opal. The look on Bede’s face was pure  _ fear. _ “What you’re doing isn’t very  _ pink,  _ Bede.”

“Are you stalking me, you crazy old hoot?!”

“No, Bede, I just happened to be sitting in the booth behind you listening in on your conversation.” Opal took a long sip of tea in the same annoying way Bede slurped his milkshake. Guess I know where he got it from. 

“Oh, alright.” I was surprised he took that for an answer. Oh- Wait- I could see him thinking. His eyebrow twitched. He turned around as if he was a hurricane, his glare probably meant to unsettle her, but she shrugged it off like it was nothing. “Hey! That doesn’t sound right at all! You wouldn’t just come here for tea. Old woman, your favourite place is back in Ballonea.” 

“An old woman can’t enjoy an outing every now and again?” Bede’s lips pursed and it was clear he was trying not to explode on her. The relationship between them reminded me of an overbearing mother and a son struggling for air. ”Bede, you're really just paranoid.”

”No, I'm  _ not _ !” He argued. He stood from the table, grabbing my hand and pulling me up. ”We’re leaving. Somewhere where  _ you  _ aren't. Leave me alone! I've already passed all your stupid quizzes!” As we were leaving, my shoulder bumped into another person’s. I couldn't see their faces, but I tried to apologize, only to be yanked out the door. 

The person who I'd bumped into turned to smile at the door. He turned to his companion. ”My, my. How  _ rude  _ the Champion is, isn't that right… Victor?” Beside him, a pale boy, my age, with the same color hair and eyes stood, glaring in my direction. He didn't seem to have a lot to say, mostly relying on his expression to communicate his feelings. ”Get your feelings under control, brother. We’re here for the long run.” 

”I’m not your brother.” His words were as cold as his expression. The man shrugged, rolling his eyes as he sat down at the table, patting the seat beside him. Victor purposely sat in another booth, ignoring him. 

“Just because you  _ say  _ it doesn’t mean it’s not real…” As Victor’s expression entirely changed to take a selfie, he snapped a quick pic before uploading it online. “Hey, hey, are you crazy? I was trying to  _ enjoy  _ my morning.”

“So were they.” That was all he said.

Outside of the store, we were overrun by paparazzi. It was a sudden and short burst. They were in our faces, shouting their questions over one another, a mix of unintelligible screaming. Bede started to run, dragging me along, but the paparazzi were thoroughly trained. They were gaining, like sharks that had grown legs. Olivia was right about one thing, people were  _ crazy _ in pursuit of fame. ”Listen, Xolia! We have to split up. Find a place to be low-key for a bit and we’ll meet back up at the restaurant later.”

I nodded, letting go of his hand. It was unsafe for me to pull out my Pokemon here, and that would definitely mean a Pokemon battle- one I couldn't contain. Arcanine’s power was too destructive. He wasn't a Growlithe anymore. I rushed toward a fence, hoping that would stop my pursuers, but one shouted, ”There’s a way around! That's a dead-end!” I rushed into the street and sure enough, it was a shopping district…. With only one way to go. Into a clothes store. I rushed inside, and I looked around. The clothes racks weren’t thick enough to hide in. I rushed toward the changing rooms, but the attendant stopped me. 

“You have to try something on to go in here.”  _ Damn  _ it. It was one of those shops. I looked around- the section nearest to me was skimpy lingerie. I grabbed a set of black lace, and she stepped aside. “That’s something you  _ have  _ to buy if you try it on.” I rolled my eyes. It couldn’t be so simple, could it? 

“In here!” The voices made me duck into one of the stalls, crashing into someone who was already there. We tumbled to the ground as I heard their voices and the person tried to speak but was muffled by my hand. 

“You have to  _ buy _ something if you want to stay here, sirs.” 

“Damn it. I don’t think she’s in here.” I could hear the footsteps recede. 

“Where else could she have gone?!” 

“There’s an industrial factory on the left side of this store.” 

“Let’s go!” 

I sighed in relief, letting my grip on the person beneath me go. “You know, I’ve had girls  _ throw  _ their panties at me before, but I never thought the Champion would come in here and try to stuff her skimpy lingerie down my throat.” A sharp gasp escaped me, the last sign of my soul floating away to an untimely death as I stared at the person I had basically  _ mounted,  _ my legs on either side of his. I couldn’t say anything. Piers stared at me, his resting bitch-face imprinting itself into my mind. “My, my, Xolia, is this an invitation?” He struggled to get up. All I could do was stare into his eyes. He hadn’t lost composure at all. I was about to get off of him, but he pulled me back down. “If you don’t want to see my dick, then I suggest you don’t move.” The panties, which had been sticking to his face, finally fell to the floor with a quiet  _ clatter  _ when the plastic hanger hit. 

“W-Wh- That’s a dirty-” 

“What, a word like dick fazes you? What about cock? If you don’t want to see my  _ cock, _ then don’t move. See, no big deal."

“What are you talking about?! This is so inappropriate!” 

“You’re the one who  _ rushed  _ into my changing room and stuffed your panties in my mouth. Might I add, it’s barely even seven in the morning, and yet somehow, you found me here.” I could feel something  _ hard  _ underneath me. I didn’t think I wanted to know. “So, Xolia, I think I’ll make this an  _ invitation. _ ” 

“Y-You can’t-” My face was red, overheating from the implications. His hand had snaked up my back, releasing the clasp on my bra as if that came  _ naturally  _ to him. I covered my chest with my hands as my bra slipped, holding it there. It wasn’t like he could  _ see,  _ as my shirt was still on, but I was still embarrassed. 

“I’m not going to hurt you. I’m gonna make this fun. It’s been a long time, but… I think I can get in the mood.” What the hell was going to happen to me?! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT CHAPTER SMUT


	11. SKIPPABLE SMUT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as labelled  
> WARNING  
> SMUT  
> SMUT SMUT SMUT  
> please i need opinions on how good this is it's been so long since i wrote any smut

Piers’ hands moved against my body, slowly tracing my curves. I grabbed onto his shirt. Even his hands over my body, groping and squeezing every inch of me, felt sensual in a way I couldn’t explain. They reached downwards. When he squeezed my ass, I yelped, but he shut me up quickly as his lips pressed against mine. His tongue probed me, looking for an opening. I could feel a heat building inside me, my own parting slightly, allowing him entry. It was a sloppy, wet kiss, one that made shivers run down my spine. I knew I  _ shouldn’t  _ be doing this, but I couldn’t help it. Piers had spiked my curiosity. Sexual stuff had never been my forte. I didn’t even know how to  _ masturbate,  _ let alone get off.

“The last time I saw you orgasm was when you were fighting Leon,” He whispered, and my eyes shot wide open.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Oh, Xolia, you might think you’re fooling everyone, but I’m pretty sure anyone who knows what pleasure feels like saw it. You  _ came  _ just from a Pokemon battle. Sexually frustrated, are we?” He nibbled on my earlobe and I let out a hiss of air. I didn’t know how to react to  _ any  _ of this. “Let me put it in perspective. I  _ saw  _ how heavy you were breathing. You  _ laughed  _ like you were going crazy and then I saw your eyes roll and your body  _ spasm,  _ and you collapsed to your knees. Most people would just think it was relief at victory, but I’m sure all of the gym leaders know just how  _ horny  _ you were right then and there.” His lips moved against my neck, his teeth sinking into my flesh. I let out a small moan, and what I felt between my legs grew stiffer. “ _ That’s  _ what I want to see. I want to see what comes out when you’re close to  _ losing. _ ”

“I can’t… that’s only ever happened twice in my life!”

His hand snaked up my shirt. I could feel it as he cupped my breast, gently rolling his thumb across my nipple. The skin-to-skin contact made me shiver, my body twisting in his grasp. I couldn’t control myself. It felt  _ good.  _ Admitting that would be so wrong. “What do you think all of your fans would see if you did it again? You’ve been more careful than usual. You destroy everyone with a few turns.” His other hand rubbed my thigh, up and down, before tracing alongside the inner part, a teasing, tantalizing dance only his fingers could perform. He was  _ so  _ close to touching me in a place I had never been touched before. “It feels good to lose, doesn’t it? Don’t you want me to make you feel better?” I was so wet that my plain black panties were beginning to show signs of it leaking through. He flipped up my skirt, a single finger dancing over the fabric, in between the lips. I shuddered with every slight touch. 

“I…” 

“I can’t continue unless you tell me you want it, Xolia.” He pulled away, but I grabbed his arm. A grin spread across his face. “Well?”

“P-Please…” I could feel tears forming in my eyes. I wanted this build-up of heat to be gone. I wanted to feel more pleasure. It felt  _ so  _ good that I was crying. “Do more… make me feel better!” 

“Then you have to do something for me.” I paused, fear spreading across my features. “Relax, I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. We’re both here to feel good, aren’t we?” At first, I hadn’t been so into it. Now, every part of me was trembling, as if I was thirsty for more touches. “Do you want to see me?” I could feel something hard rub against my panties. I was sure it was his dick, being dragged against me, slowly, long strokes. “Doesn’t this feel good?” 

“It feels… so good…” I could feel cold air hit my pussy as he moved the fabric aside. Flesh touched flesh. It was slimy and soft. 

“Something this good can’t be so scary, can it? If it feels this good just rubbing against you…” What he was implying made my legs quiver. “Hah… it’s like you’re vibrating… it’s not even  _ inside  _ and you’re soaked.” 

“I-I’m sorry…” 

“Just teasing the tip… your pussy is so soft… I can’t  _ imagine  _ how tight it would be.” 

“I-I’ve never…” 

“I wouldn’t be so cruel as to take your first time just yet.” I could feel his cock pull away. “But I think that equal exchange is a good policy. I’m gonna teach you how to make a man feel good, and you’re gonna cum.” My eyesight was hazy. All I could feel was the absence of pleasure and the  _ need  _ for release. He pulled out from under me and I got a full view of it. His cock was a soft colour. It had a nice curve to it, slight, but it made it seem proud. He began to stroke it, softly, up and down. 

“What do you want me to do?” I needed more. I was  _ desperate  _ for more. 

“Use your mouth.” I crept forward, on my hands and knees. It felt like his cock was radiating heat when I was this close to it. I wondered how it would taste. I opened my mouth, closing it around the head, gently licking and sucking at the tip- the fluid that was coming out of it tasted bitter and salty, but it’s not like I didn’t like it. I began bobbing my head. “Just like that… no teeth… god, it was like you were  _ made  _ to suck cock…” I was too interested in his dick to stop and talk. I wanted it as deep inside my mouth as it could go, the hardness on my tongue addictive. It felt  _ so  _ good to suck. Wetness dribbled down my legs as Piers panted, stroking my hair. “It’s not over yet…” His hand reached to my hips, which were waving back and forth as I took as much of him as I could. I could feel him teasing my pussy, lightly pushing a finger in and out. The sensation of it caused me to tighten, and Piers groaned again. “Fuck…” 

His cock popped out of my mouth, allowing me a second to breathe as I looked up at him. “I-It’s good…” For a second, I swore that he was blushing a vibrant red, staring down at me, but he used his free hand to trace the head of his dick against my lips as he was stroking it and I was distracted again. I sucked on the side, lightly running my tongue up and down the bulging veins. I could feel him pumping his fingers into my pussy, each one growing more and more rough and fast. Something was building inside me and Piers was beginning to thrust into my mouth. I began to shake and spasm. 

“I’m cumming!” It was a hiss of breath as he shoved my head down, warm seed spilling into my mouth and throat. It tasted so salty, but the moment it hit, I began to spasm and shake, clamping down on his fingers, doing my best to take his entire load. “Wait.” He pulled me off him by my hair. “Open your mouth.” I did as he asked, and he began to stroke viciously, getting off to seeing his cum in my mouth. “O-One more…!” His cum splashed across my face and tongue, warm and salty as it slid down my cheek. “Now swallow, like the good girl I know you are.”

I closed my mouth and drank it down, wincing at the taste. It was both good  _ and  _ bad. He stared at me for a moment, before kissing me on the lips. “I don’t want any of it wasted.” To my surprise, he licked his own cum off of my cheek, taking it on his tongue and forcing my mouth open. The salty combination of his tongue against mine, transferring his own seed to me almost made me orgasm again. 

I panted for air, my clothes damp with sweat and  _ other fluids.  _ I collapsed forward, splaying across his legs. It took a moment for both of us to catch our breath, but Piers stroked my hair and sung a tune while I rested. It was a gentle, beautiful melody, one I wouldn’t soon forget. “You really are such a good girl, Xolia…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE NOT WRITTEN SMUT IN ABOUT LIKE  
> THREE WHOLE YEARS  
> WTF  
> is it good or bad  
> im out of practice
> 
> P.S. Sorry for not posting for so long, had work for the past two days and i hope this double-upload i crunched on helps you forgive me


	12. Chapter 12

“Xolia.” Piers nudged me. “Come on. We gotta leave, we’ve been in here for more than ten minutes.” I groaned. I didn’t want to exist right now. It was way too embarrassing! Everything I said, thought, everything we did- god! I wished I could just sink into a neverending hole. Clearly, Piers could tell it was bothering me as he settled a hand on my shoulder. “Let me be honest; if we stay in here for another five minutes, I’m goin’ to bend you over and fuck you.” A jolt ran down my spine as a scrambled backwards. I watched Piers get dressed- something he was strangely quick at doing- and he picked up my phone from one of my clothing pockets. With a few quick taps, he handed it back to me. “Anytime you want a  _ discreet  _ hook-up, I’m here. But that’s all they’ll be, got it?” It was easy enough for me to fix my clothing, as it hadn’t really come off. My underwear felt extremely uncomfortable, though…

Pier sighed, shaking his head as he dabbed at my lips with a napkin he’d pulled out of his bag. “You don’t need to do this, Piers, really!” He glanced at me, raising his eyebrow. It was clear he didn’t care whether I thought he needed to or not. He offered me the underwear I had shoved in the face.

“You should probably change out of those.” 

“But don’t I need to pay…?”

“Relax, it’s my treat.” I wasn’t sure whether or not I could accept this. It wasn’t usually lingerie I’d wear. I didn’t even wear things like this in my own time. “The next time you meet me, be sure to wear that.” He nodded to it, before leaving the changing room ahead of me. It made sense. As I changed out of my previous underwear set, I realized this was so skimpy that it didn’t cover anything. There was a hole where the fabric was supposed to be, and I began to understand quickly that this was underwear for sex. I couldn’t go out like this in public, could I? The bra barely covered anything, as well. I hoped for the best as I stepped out of the changing room. Piers stood in front of the cash register, looking back at me. 

That was when the attendant spoke up. “Sir, I don’t like cleaning  _ bodily fluids  _ off the floor, so please don’t next time.”

“Sorry, Lady.” 

“Piers, you can’t just call her Lady! At least use her-” I looked at her nametag. Her actual  _ name  _ was Lady.”N-Nevermind…” 

“I think I’d know my own employee’s name.” My eyes moved to Piers, then back to Lady. This repeated for a few moments before Piers decided to explain his statement. “Listen. I’m not a gym leader anymore. Marnie took over and everything for me… so now I’m chasin’ my real passion. Designing clothes, including that lingerie you’re wearing.”

How could he just say it out loud like that in front of someone else? I turned a bright red, which made Piers chuckle. 

“Relax, Lady is a lingerie model as well as the store’s attendant. Nothing fazes her.”

“Except when I have to clean your bodily fluids off the floor. Fucking disgusting, Piers.” 

“She’s also not into men.” 

“They can try. I bite.” Piers rolled his eyes as Lady walked past the two of us, into the back. “Next time, I’m gonna hand you a rag and you’re gonna clean your own mess up!” She called to him. I was surprised that they were so informal. 

“Lady is pretty much my best friend. She helped me out of a tight spot when I was younger. She’s the eldest daughter of the last gym leader.” Piers shrugged. “Without them, Marnie and I wouldn’t have gotten through the night.” That was interesting- Xolia didn’t know much about Piers and Marnie, surprisingly enough, even though she got along well with his little sister. “Anyways, you should probably get going. Those stalkers of yours are probably gone, and I have places to be.” 

“Are you kicking me out?” Piers looked uncomfortable.

“I mean, if you  _ want  _ to stay, you can, but you’re going to distract me from designing clothing.” 

“Well, I have to meet up with Bede. Um, thank you…? I think?” 

“Not a problem. Like I said, any time.” 

**~**

Leon stared into the mirror, wiping away the fog that had formed a thin layer on the pane of reflective glass. He sighed, his fingers lingering. It was cold. He’d cracked open a window, and all that remained between him and being naked was a rather small towel wrapped around his waist.  _ Undefeated.  _ The sound of that title rang through his head. 

_ Until now,  _ the little nasty voice sprung up in the back of his head, filling him with doubt.  _ How could you lose to her? The girl who you once had to save from a Pokemon? Look where that landed you. _

He was on the fourteenth floor of the battle tower. It’d been refurbished into Leon’s living quarters. He did wonder how he got here. When enough trainers battled each other and reached the top, well, he was the last fight. Sometimes, they minced their words, made it seem like battling him was enjoyable. Other times…

_ “I don’t want to fight the defeated ex-champion. What is that gonna do for my reputation?”  _

Hell, he got dumped  _ right  _ after his losing battle. He’d had all of the Chairman’s responsibilities thrown at him as the next registered descendant. He didn’t know how Rose had done it, only that he did. His entire body shivered as he remembered the moment that Xolia-  _ no,  _ he told himself.  _ Stop thinking about it.  _

The second-hand embarrassment he’d gotten from that fight was massive. It took him a hot second to recover, but that’s not the one that came to mind. 

_ “I can help you train?” _

_ “I’ll lend you one of my Pokemon. I wanna battle you properly.” It’d been an overcast, cloudy day when smoke sizzled the grass beneath their feet. The pokemon he’d lent to Xolia had fainted. He watched, eyes wide, as she let out a cry of her own, arching her back and collapsing to the ground.  _

_ “L-Leon! I don’t know… I don’t know what’s happening to me!” She was afraid, which was understandable. As he rushed over to touch her, holding her steady, she let out a loud moan, the likes of which he’d only ever seen in porn as she grabbed his shirt. Hiding his erection hadn’t been nearly as hard when she passed out in his arms. _

_ He’d returned her home. Told her mother that she’d exhausted herself trying to catch a Pokemon, like always. Then, when he went home, he realized it wouldn’t go away- not until he did something about it.  _

_ That was the day that Leon understood-- _

_ Xolia got off to losing, and he got off to beating her. _

“Ugh!” His fist flew into the mirror, cracks spreading across it as blood dripped from the cuts on his knuckle. His self-loathing was overflowing. He didn’t do what he did just so he could keep  _ thinking  _ about her in that way. It was too wrong for words. Xolia was  _ pure.  _ Incorruptible. To protect that, he’d do  _ anything.  _ And with the kind of things he liked, wanted to do- Leon didn’t want her to have anything to do with him if he could help it. “Not to mention… Hop…” There was more than one reason he held back. As he slid down the cupboard of his bathroom sink, he ran his fingers through his hair. 

“Not to mention, me?” Leon’s eyes shot to the doorway. There Hop was, standing, leaning against the doorframe. He looked different. 

“Brother!” Leon rushed to his feet to give Hop a giant bear hug, but Hop dodged it.

“Not until you put some clothes on, big bro.” Hop’s eyes moved to the mirror. “Tough morning?” 

“Ha!” Leon laughed, trying to cover up his frustrations with a smile. “Something like that, anyway. Give me a minute and I’ll be right out.” 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiiiii! Sorry this took so long. Didn't mean for it to, but I have one more commission and then focus is back on the story~ Join the discord if you haven't already!   
> https://discord.gg/s4efgF

Bede had been waiting for me for more than five minutes when I came out of the clothing store. I had opened up my phone to look, seeing…  _ seven  _ missed calls. There were voicemails, too. “Did they get you? I got away!” 

“Xolia, pick up.”

“I’m actually worried.”

“Xolia-”

“This isn’t funny-”   


I stopped at the fifth message. God, he was freaking out! He must be terrified! I slung my bag over my shoulder and ran for it. 

**~**

“So, aren’t you going to tell me what happened? Where’d you go?” Leon was staring at his brother with a happy intensity, like a Growlithe that had been left at home too long waiting for its owner. Hop knew that he should have told  _ someone, anyone, _ where he was going. However, that hadn’t been the number one thing on his mind when he disappeared. 

”I went to another region. Took on the Champion there.” 

“And?”

“And…” Hop sighed, “I failed. I got to the Elite Four, and then suddenly I just wasn’t nearly as strong anymore. There was someone there who looked  _ just  _ like…” When Hop noticed Leon was hanging onto every word, he shook his head. “No, nevermind. “ Leon moved to the exit of the room, grabbing his jacket.

“We should probably take a walk, get you some fresh air. A walk would do you some good.” Hop grimaced, shaking his head, settling into the chair a little more than he had been.

“I don’t think I want to get up.” 

Leon paused, turning to his little brother. “Wait, what? You’ve never said anything like that in your life before. You’ve always been tireless, chasing after your goal. You’ve never given up on  _ anything. _ ” 

“That was before I lost the gym challenge, big bro.” Hop decided to finally drag himself out of his chair. “I grew up a little. It’s not a big deal. I know now that childhood dreams don’t always hold up in reality.” Leon didn’t know how to respond. Everything he so desperately tried to keep together was changing. Xolia and Raihan. Xolia and Bede. Hop and… well, whatever this was. He didn’t like it in the slightest. 

“Listen, it’s just a tough spot. You’ll push through like you always do, I’m sure of it. I’m still here. You still haven’t beaten me yet. Wasn’t that your goal?” Leon grasped at straws, trying to trigger a past flame in his brother, but Hop simply stared off into the distance.

“Yeah, I guess.” Hop sounded so  _ resigned  _ to his fate. It was as if there was nothing Leon could do to fix this, and he hated that feeling. 

“Come on.” He pulled his brother by the arm. They were going for a walk, whether he liked it or not. There was no way he’d put this down and leave it be. Maybe if he saw a glimpse of Xolia, he’d be who he used to be. 

**~**

At the current time, Bede was waiting in front of the arena with two others- Leon and Hop. I saw them from a distance, and I didn’t recognize the latter until it was too late to turn and run. The moment we locked eyes, I could see the hurt flooding back into them. His smile became a frown. I almost stopped dead in the spot I was in, but something compelled me to keep going. Maybe it was because Leon was there. I pushed the thought of what happened with Piers out of my head. The first person to break the silence, of course, was Bede. “Xolia! You’ll never guess who crawled out from under a pebble.” 

It was clear Hop didn’t enjoy Bede’s presence either. He remained silent. Leon couldn’t break the silence- the tension was so thick that you couldn’t even cut it with a knife. I tried my best. “So… I’ll make some breakfast if you guys are up for it.”

“That’d be great!” Leon interjected, his smile stretching across his face. My heart fluttered lightly. The way his eyes smiled along with his expression was mesmerizing. All of the hours I had watched him on T.V. were nothing compared to him being here, physically, in front of me. The way his hair blew in the morning breeze, his casual outfit making him stick out even when compared with Bede. He didn’t wear a hat, and his hair was tied back loosely with a scrunchie, hanging over his right shoulder. Even now, off the battlefield, I could see the passion burning in his amber eyes, almost as fiercely as his Charizard’s tail. “...Xolia? Are you all right?”

“I’m sorry! I zoned out! Let me let you in.” I speed-walked past them, attempting to regain my composure. That was totally uncool! As I walked up the steps, a breeze danced around my skirt and I could feel the fabric being pulled- I turned around to see  _ Leon,  _ of all people, flipping up my skirt. I screeched, my face flushing red, and out of reflex and having  _ no clue  _ what to do, wound back my hand and landed a slap on his face. He took a few steps back, holding his face. When he uncovered it, his eyes were burning with something other than passion--- I couldn’t explain it. Rage? Fierceness? There was something in them that was  _ terrifying,  _ yet all-consuming. 

“I have  _ no  _ idea what you’re doing wearing something like that, but maybe don’t be the first one to walk up a bunch of stairs if a bunch of guys are behind you.” That breeze… oh, god. Leon hadn’t been trying to flip up my skirt- he’d been trying to pull it down. I looked past him, and, weirdly enough, blood dripped down Bede’s nose, from his lips to the ground. He stood rigid, staring straight ahead into the distance. His face was  _ bright red.  _ Oh my god, they didn’t  _ all  _ see, did they?!

The only person who I wasn’t sure had seen was Hop. He stared directly at me, no reaction whatsoever. I couldn’t read him, although usually… no, forget that thought. That was before I’d defeated him in the championships. The silence between the entire group was almost deafening; I had no way to cut through it, but Hop and Bede started moving up the steps before me. Leon’s glare was still fixated on me; he waited until the others passed to move, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from the entire time he passed. His voice was low as he whispered to me, but I could hear it. “Change when you get inside.” 

It was a long elevator ride up, and an even longer wait for me to change. The guys were pretty much silent the whole time they sat in my living room. I came out, wearing a much more  _ presentable  _ outfit, lacking the skirt that was usually my go-to. Hop was the first to stand up and speak. “I have something to do, maybe I should go.” 

Leon stood in his path. “Bro, no. Come on, it’s been forever and Xolia’s your best friend-”

“ _ She’s not my friend!”  _ His words were sharp, and they cut me deeply. It was clear nobody else expected Hop’s outburst as Leon stepped back. “I’m sorry. I’m just… uncomfortable here. It’s not your fault, Leon.” His eyes moved to me. “It’s  _ hers.  _ I’m going home. Mom has probably been freaking out for the past five months.” 

I didn’t know how to fix this. I wasn’t so sure words could do anything for our relationship. I reached out to Hop, but his back was turned to me. Like that, I watched him get on the elevator down, not looking back. All I felt was ice coming from his direction.

I’d really fucked things up badly, hadn’t I? I wasn’t so sure I could  _ ever  _ tell him about Leon. If he ever  _ knew  _ the reason I’d rejected him was for Leon, it seemed like we’d never be able to be friends again. Not that we were exactly doing well right now. Hop had changed so much that I couldn’t recognize the person he was.

And it was all my fault. He’d at least made that clear.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon shows Xolia around.

Bede had left only ten minutes after Hop did. Apparently, the forest to Balloonea had a powerful Pokemon blocking people from going or leaving and they needed Bede’s help to subdue it. ”Dunno why  _ anyone  _ gets up this early.” Bede was secretly bitter, having gotten up so early for a date because he  _ thought  _ nothing and nobody would interrupt it. However, it seemed like everyone was just as keen as waking up at six AM as he was. He left in a huff. 

Then, it was just Leon and I. The silence stretched out between us before he spoke up. ”I’ve got some free time. I can show you some features of this place you probably didn't know about.”

”What?” Leon knew about the apartment above the gym more than I did? Why?

”Oh, I guess nobody told you. I started living here when I was eighteen. Rose built it for me. He'd been trying to get me to move out for  _ years,  _ but I refused until I actually saw the place and the cool stuff it had. Turns out he’d been periodically upgrading it over time to try and appeal to me.”

So Leon had lived here for a couple of years. He hadn't dropped by regularly for a long while after he turned eighteen, but I suppose that was because of how busy the Champion always was. I was lucky- I only had my mother at home to think about, but Leon had to walk away from his whole family. I guess I thought that Leon had lived with Rose, rather than on his own. It must’ve been pretty lonely… speaking of loneliness, I wondered where he was on that scale now. Even as he moved things around the apartment, looking for something with a smile on his face, I wondered just what went on in his head. As far as I could tell, he was always so dedicated to his work. 

When he became the champion, it was more of a weekend-thing. He never had time for anything on weekends, but he was always there after school. He was the most popular guy there, which wasn’t so hard to believe. It made it difficult for him to set aside time for Hop and me, though.

He finally picked up a remote in the living room, clicking it at the fireplace. I wondered if he knew that the fireplace wasn’t remote-activated, but the fire went out  _ immediately.  _ And then the wall actually moved. Full-on moved to reveal an HD T.V. and  _ every game system known to man along with a shelf of games.  _ “This used to be my favourite room in the entire place. I slept on the couch a lot.:” I followed Leon as if I was in wonderland, the remote triggering a ton of different features I never thought the realm of possibility. 

One of which sealed off the bedroom. Leon explained it as a sort of panic room. “Well, what do you do if you’re trapped in here?” 

“See, here’s the kicker- you’re  _ not  _ trapped. The bedroom actually has its own bathroom  _ and  _ closet which have secret doors that open into the hall. I wondered why you brought your own.” Another click and the closet revealed itself as the wall moved to show shelves and a room full of, a ton of different-coloured caps and capes. Leon laughed nervously, clicking the button again. “N-Never mind…” He pointed at another section of the wall and clicked the remote again. This time, a full-on  _ spa  _ revealed itself. It had a mud bath, a normal bath, a place for pokemon to enjoy themselves- it wasn’t just a bathroom, it was  _ huge.  _ “It’s meant for both Pokemon and humans, so Rose had to make it big.” That made sense. It seemed like a reward room, after all. Another click and the wall in the back slid to reveal a vault full of silken pillows, a few Pokeballs sitting on some of them. Some kind of vault, I supposed. “Pokemon luxury PC box only accessible from the comfort of home. Have you seen the pool yet?” 

“I have a  _ pool _ ?” 

**~**

“So, we have our own gym now, do we?” A man with dark hair, a beauty mark under his lips and rather fancy studded sunglasses gave Olivia a charming smile. “We’ll do our best to make our town one of the main attractions of Galar. Tell Leon thanks for selling that land to us.” 

“It’s not a problem, Adam. You have  _ amazing  _ references. I’m just surprised Victor here isn’t asking for a gym himself.” 

“A meagre title like that isn’t going to do anything for me.” The blonde-haired boy  _ tsked. _ An irate expression washed over his face. “I have a much more  _ worthy  _ prize I’ve got my eyes on.” 

“Well, someone of your prestige and fame across the world would be an extremely popular attraction.” Olivia gave him one of her sweetest smiles. “If you’re looking for a Dynamax zone, just say the word. I’m at your beck and call. Please do put in a word for me with your father.” 

“He’s not my father.” 

Adam interrupted before Olivia could respond. “He’s not very friendly to members of his family. Sometimes, he says he’s not my brother. Forgive his attitude, and I’ll be sure that Thyme hears words of praise directly from my lips to his ears on your resourcefulness.” 

“You only needed to say the words.” Olivia was  _ surprisingly  _ okay with being talked to the way she did. As she walked away from the construction site, she noticed that the construction of the region’s newest town was going so fast that they might be done by the end of the week. Adam was to be an electric-type leader and the fact that he was once a member of the Stroiza Region’s Elite Four was more than enough of a fulfilled requirement. Olivia particularly liked the Stroiza region because of the country’s strict politics on Pokemon. Pokephobes could live in peace knowing that all of the Pokemon in the region were penned and restricted to an island off the coast. Pokemon weren’t allowed out of their Pokeballs unless they were registered as work tools or you were in a gym, or a specified battle zone. It was one of the most successful regions because of the work ethic of its members. In fact, having a Pokemon there was rare- so, nobody stopped to take Pokemon battle breaks.

High Lord Thyme was the ‘ruler’ of the nation, and definitely one of the men you wanted on your side should you ever need a  _ favour  _ the law might not appreciate. That would be useful to Olivia eventually. 

She was glad she had her ducks in a row.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok but this is the one place Leon can't get lost, as he spent years of his life just in the apartment complex. It's the one area he can roam freely without fear of getting lost.
> 
> Oh, but he still can't find the elevator to get out without help. 
> 
> He didn't want to leave, and with good reason.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight nsfw.

My first reaction to hearing about a new gym leader was… Well, I was stunned. I never expected a whole new town to pop up in Galar overnight, but this had seemed like it was under works for a while. ”I’ll have to visit at some point.”

”If your work allows you. I've been lenient with your schedule due to Bede, but now he must earn his keep. You two have a photoshoot this afternoon. These photos will be published in ”Dynamax Monthly.” This is currently the most prestigious gossip magazine in Galar, something every housewife gets their hands on. It used to feature a shirtless Leon…” Before I could stop myself, I almost rushed over to Olivia, my eyes sparkling. I had _completely_ forgotten they were dating, but it didn’t seem like that mattered to her all that much. “If you do well, then I’ll get you an old copy in pristine condition.”

“R-Really?!” It was too late for me to take it back now. I’d been trying so hard to get over Leon, but my heart wasn’t being very cooperative. I wanted to kick myself for being so thirsty in front of Olivia, but his abs were enough to make even the most put-together housewife pause and do a double-take. I’d seen the way his ravenous female fans had climbed over each other to get to him. They were truly scary creatures. I wondered how Olivia could so openly date him, even now. 

It was to my surprise when Raihan of all people walked into the room. His wounds were healing really nicely, and there was a smile on his face- a welcome change from the last time. “Hey, Xolia!” I waved to him, but Olivia grabbed my hand, shoving it down and giving him a glare. That didn’t dissuade Raihan from coming over to see me, though. 

“What are _you_ doing here? Did you already forget the scandal that went down _less than a week ago?_ ” Olivia clearly wasn’t happy about his arrival. “Staying away while the gossip comes out of circulation means for more than three days.” 

“Relax, Ice Queen. I’m here to ask Xolia if she’d like to come on a trip with me to the new town. It would be nice to get out of the big city once and a while, wouldn’t it?” I wanted to say _yes_ because the glass-and-concrete walls always felt like they were choking me. I knew it would be unfair to Bede, so I hesitated, and Olivia took over.

“She has work today, as some of us do. Don’t you have a gym challenger to lose to?” 

“You wish, Lady Frost.” 

“My name is _Olivia._ ” 

“All right, Frozen Maiden.” I laughed, but Olivia’s glare caused me to hold it. It was a dangerous thing to do, as my laughter could escape my lips at any moment. Raihan, however, didn’t bother holding back his laughter. “Whatever, I’ll get out of your hair for now.” He winked at me, giving me a small salute before he walked out the door, a bounce in his steps. As he did, Bede walked past him. 

“You ready?” 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” The air between us was gloomy. I hated taking an excessive amount of photos and I doubted Bede liked doing it either. He pretty much refused to give out autographs before he chilled out a little, so I doubted he was nearly as keen to take pictures. 

“Alright. Bede, here’s the address. I’ll catch up with you after I secure the item that the Champion asked for and it’ll be on her bed when she gets back.” Olivia nodded, parting ways with us once we reached the road. 

The photoshoot itself was supervised by none other than Piers. “How many talents do you _have?_ ” He adjusted the camera and a few of the lights before coming back to me to answer.

“My talents can’t be limited to a single venue of business. I’m making money in the big city for the gym back home.” So Piers lived here. It made sense that I kept running into him, then. Although… what happened between us had been _way_ too much for me. I wasn’t sure I could look him in the eye. I wasn’t sure if he noticed it or not. “Alright, make a pose. Bede, you’re too stiff. Stop not smiling. Actually look at the camera. Hey, are you even trying? Don’t close your eyes. That’s not a good look on you.” 

Bede’s annoyance was growing every step of the way, and Piers had yet to take any pictures or tell me what to do. He was about to yell when I grabbed Bede’s hand, and, giving him a small smile, “Follow my lead.” He looked a little surprised and a little confused, but he nodded. I wrapped my arms around him in a hug and Piers was silent. He held his arms a fraction away from me, unsure of whether he could hug back. I heard the click of a camera shutter, then three more times, from three different angles. 

I decided to switch poses, tickling Bede to get him on the floor. He began to laugh, his chest heaving, as I sat on his back. Another click, click. We kept posing, closer and closer each time, Bede’s smile becoming a little more natural until we looked at each other. It _felt_ like the right moment. I moved in, and so did he, our lips pressing together, our fingers intertwined as we held each other’s hands.

_Click._

I was suddenly torn away from Bede’s grasp by Piers, who dragged me toward a changing room. “It’s time to get you into something different. I’ll pick out the fashion.” When we got into the room, Piers’ hand slammed against the wall, right next to my head. I jumped. 

“W-Was there something you needed?” 

“Why won’t you look me in the eyes?” 

“No reason…”

“Why haven’t you called? Or texted? Or anything?” 

“I didn’t want to bother you.” 

“...” Piers sighed, before pressing his lips to mine. I flushed, scampering away from him. “Jeez, you could be a little less obvious. Don’t go thinking I’m jealous. I’m just irritated.” I hadn’t said _anything_ about him being jealous, but I supposed it made sense to think with him dragging me into the changing room so suddenly. He advanced again, kissing me on the mouth, grabbing one of my legs and pressing me against the room’s other wall. I could feel his crotch grinding into me. He was _hard._

I began to feel a haze overtake my mind. 

**~**

Leon wasn’t _normally_ so inclined to sneak around someone’s home. Still, he wanted to find out where that lingerie came from. It wasn’t something Xolia would normally wear- he’d seen her style choices before. If someone, or something, was corrupting her innocence, he would step in and save her. 

It was easy enough to go up to her bedroom balcony using his Charizard. It, after all, didn’t face the bulk of the city. It was more like a back entrance she seemingly always left open. He snuck into her room, digging through her drawers before he found the rather _skimpy_ lingerie. He couldn’t believe the mild-mannered, polite, gentle and pure Xolia had been wearing something like this. He couldn’t believe that he _saw_ her wearing it. It really just seemed like the entire world was coming together to fuck him over. He read the tag on the back. 

_Piers._

Rage flowed through him. _That_ pervert? God, Xolia wouldn’t have… would she? No, he couldn’t think like that. His attention turned to her bed, where a magazine sat. This was… one of the issues he was on the cover of. He flipped to his section and his eyes widened. It was the only issue of which he’d agreed to do a shirtless cover because the theme was summer beach days. 

His face turned a bright red as he thought of Xolia looking at this and thinking of him. It was on her bed. Maybe he should be shirtless around her more often- no. No, no, no. He took the page and ripped it out. If she _really_ wanted to see, she could ask. Whether or not he’d actually do it was a whole different story, but he had to remind himself about how he was protecting her over and over again. 

She was something precious in this world. If she lost what made her _herself_ like Hop did, could Leon bring himself to smile anymore? He was frightened. Scared of what the future would bring. Terrified for his brother. Concerned for Xolia. Plain scared for himself.

How long could he keep this up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to post a new chapter. Phone died while I was on a trip yesterday, and I couldn't remember the password so I had to factory reset it when I got home. Awful day yesterday, BUT. 
> 
> Here you go, a whole new chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHERE HAVE I BEEN, ILL ANSWER AT THE END

“Piers, I can’t; I’m here with Bede.” I tried to reject him, tried to push back the haze in my mind, but it seemed to overtake me. He chuckled as if he knew my words were just a weak wall I put up to try to resist. I still hoped he’d take the hint. 

“I get it.” He backed off, much to my surprise. I stared at him, shocked at the turn-out. “What? Do you think I’d do something when you told me no in a full sentence? Besides, I got what I wanted out of you.” He kissed me again, more gently this time. “Next time I might not be so nice, though. Call me or text me sometimes.” Was that… really all? I felt a little bit  _ disappointed.  _ “Stop looking at me like that and put this on. For future reference, this place isn’t  _ nearly  _ public enough for me to get off from it. And the next time you want it, you’re going to have to do a  _ lot  _ more than just ask for it.” He flung a set of clothes at me and I caught it. It was a rather long black sweater and a pair of white wool tights with yellow stars on them. “This is what I’ve prepared for you.” With that, he left. As if nothing had happened between us in the first place.

What he’d selected for me fit me quite well. I was surprised Piers had an eye for things like this, but he seemed to be the type of guy who never stopped surprising people. I mean, I couldn’t tell what was in his head just as much as Leon was unreadable. I was getting a little bit tired of trying to understand people’s feelings on a deeper level. I kind of wanted to give up on doing that. 

As I walked out of the dressing room, I saw Olivia sitting in a chair, fanning herself with what looked like a wad of cash. “Where have you been?” I asked her. She put up her feet, giving me a sultry smile.

“Oh, I got what you needed and left it on your bed. I’ve been making a lot of good business choices lately. As I said, if you stuck with me, you’d make good money. Well, here you go.” She handed me the money she had in her hand. I was shocked; this was a good amount. Usually what I made went to my mother and the cost of living, but if this was free cash- wow, what would I  _ do  _ with it? Maybe send it over to mom to help her pay the rent, or let her get something that would make herself happy? “That’s  _ all  _ yours. Not to send to your mom or pay rent for anyone,  _ this  _ is so you can afford something nice for yourself. You deserve it.” 

“How did I get so much?”

“Well, since I knew the type of good girl you were, I decided to set aside money every time you got paid and save up for you. Seriously,  _ don’t  _ spend this on anyone else but yourself.” Although I knew that was what Olivia wanted, I didn’t really want for anything. The fact Leon had shown me my place had a pool behind a  _ hidden door  _ barred me from subscribing to a monthly gym membership that I’d probably never use for anything other than to go in said pool. 

Getting back to the photoshoot with Bede was simple enough. It went a little more awkwardly due to more than just Piers being in the room, but I really couldn’t focus. Piers’ eyes were on me. I caught them every now and again, but when I looked, it was as if he hadn’t been watching in the first place. It frustrated me to no end, and as a result, the second half of the photoshoot wasn’t nearly as in fun or in tune as it had been when we first started. As we left the studio, Bede grabbed my arm. “Hey. I was wondering if, uh, you wanted to take a sort of vacation? I don’t really know what’s going through your head and I was just thinking about how it would be great to get a bunch of friends and head into the wild zone… If you were looking for something to spend that cash on.” 

I was surprised. Bede didn’t seem like the type to want to go full-wild, let alone leave the big city. He clearly saw the surprise on my face. 

“I mean, it’s something you enjoy, right?” I nodded, and he gave a sigh of relief. He was such a bizarre guy. I didn’t really  _ understand  _ why he was doing something he’d clearly dislike. Also,  _ did  _ Bede have any friends? “Well, then, let’s make it happen.” I handed the cash over to him, without hesitation. He looked almost surprised, before pushing it back to me. “Um, can you handle the buying and stuff?”

“Why?”

“Look, if I buy for us it’s literally just gonna be frozen T.V. dinner meals. I can’t cook and I don’t know what to buy.” I stifled a laugh. “Hey, stop that!” 

“Frozen T.V. dinners aren’t going to work out in the wild.” 

“You think I don’t know that?!” I  _ knew  _ he didn’t know that. He’d basically admitted to it. It was adorable how he tried to cover up his lack of knowledge, though. I had no problem with doing the shopping, but I wondered who he would bring. I decided not to ask him, excited for a surprise. 

**~**

Hop’s gaze was cold as he stared at me, turning around to leave. Leon grabbed him by his backpack, which he attempted to struggle out of, but to no avail. “We set all of this up, bro. We can’t go back now, we’re already at the checkpoint into the actual wilds.” It was true, we were at the base of a worn mountain path that spiralled up into unknown territory. I uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other, his gaze burning a hole through my heart. How did we end up like this?

I glanced up at Bede, who had an unassuming look on his face. He was completely oblivious to it all, wasn’t he? I gripped the straps of my backpack tightly. It was packed to the brim with poke balls. I had brought minimal camping gear for the sake of the chance of catching rare Pokémon. 

As we started up the path in a one by one formation, Leon began to walk beside me, a smile on his face. “Hey, Xolia! It’s been way too long!”

“I thought we saw each other a few days ago.”

“Yeah, well, am I not allowed to be disappointed by not seeing you more? You’re like family to me!” I stared at him for a moment, before casting my gaze to the ground. 

“Haha, yeah. We’re family, right?” I couldn’t hide my disappointment, but I don’t think Leon could tell. Hop’s mood was souring even further than I thought it ever would.

“Why are you speaking? You’re going to scare away all of the damn pokemon.” He muttered, shoving past Leon and I. He elbowed me with enough force that I almost fell, but Leon was there to catch my arm and steady me. 

“If you’ll excuse us for a moment, Bede and Xolia, I have to talk to my brother.” A darkened look crossed Leon’s face as he stormed up towards Hop, clear intent for a heated conversation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mother decided to have her wedding in MEXICO. I’m a Canadian. It was a VEry BUSY few days as we were at a resort the whole time. It was from the 10th OF DEC - the 22nd, where I flew back to meet my online US boyfriend and spent the 22nd to TODAY with him. I love him and all but I am SICK of people and I want to just stay inside forever because there has not been a single day where I have not been around people and now I feel like I can actually relax and write.
> 
> I also got a new 1,300$ computer on the 7th, which we assembled, only to find out the motherboard was dead on arrival so no setting up that as I have to send back parts. I’m not even back home yet and I have so much to do ;-;
> 
> Bruh, it’s been a hectic holiday and I’m ready to sleep in my own bed, my own room, fix my computer and just spend some time alone writing. 
> 
> Never again shall I leave my room for a whole month, been super stressed. Sorry for no updates. I tried writing but I’ve been too 
> 
> “AAAAAAAA” to do anything until I was alone.


	17. Chapter 17

~ [Younger Hunger - Dead Inside](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG564GILdCY)

Heels clicked on the ground as a woman with long, luxurious brown hair walked down the main street, her hips swaying back and forth as she adjusted her sunglasses. Men stopped to stare, her red, skin-tight dress bursting with cleavage. Her ruby-red lips upturned into a smile as she took them off, her yellow eyes shining brightly. She placed the end of the sunglasses on her lip, dragging it down in a sensual manner. “It’s not Alola, and there are no wormholes, but it’ll do.” She stared up at the Champion’s Gym, giggling a little. She placed her sunglasses back on her face. “I’ll take all of the legendaries I can get my hands on. Even if I have to cast this world into the darkness to do it.” 

As she walked through the automatic doors, the person behind the counter looked up. “Sorry, if you’re looking to challenge the champion she’s gone on vacation.”

“That won’t do, grunt.” 

“E-Excuse me?” The woman ripped off her sunglasses and opened her trainer’s passport. The girl behind the desk went pale. “I-I don’t think… I don’t think you’re allowed to do gym challenges anymore.” Her hand moved to the phone, but the woman’s hand snapped to hers. 

“What are you going to do, call the police? Cry ‘terrorist’?” The woman leaned in. “I get what I want. My name is Agria Dutres, and I am the long-time champion of Alola. I struggled to get to the top, and then I met Necrozma, and I’ve never been beaten since.” The lights began to flicker as the woman pulled out a Pokeball. There was a flash, and a surge of power and the room was engrossed in darkness. The lights flickered back on, and both the woman and the receptionist were gone. 

Oliva burst in through the back door. She looked around the room. “Damn it, what the hell was that blackout? And did that stupid girl just _abandon_ her shift?! I swear, I’m never hiring on recommendations again.”

Within the darkness of another dimension, however, Agria stood by Necrozma, looking down at the receptionist. “P-please let me go! I promise I won’t tell anyone! I’ll do anything!”

“Shh.” Agria put a finger up to her lips. “You’ll be fine. I can’t guarantee you’ll ever escape from here, though.”

“No, no, no! Please, I beg you!” 

Agria turned, her eyes alight with amusement. “Watch out for Ultra Beasts. I got tired of catching them, so I let them all go in here…” 

With that, Agria walked out of the wormhole she’d created. It disappeared into nothingness, leaving the receptionist behind. “No!” She screamed, as the last fraction of light disappeared.

**~**

“You can’t just talk to her like that. She’s trying her best to be your friend!” Leon exclaimed, chiding his brother. It was in hushed voices, so I could just barely hear the beginnings of their argument. 

“She tricked us _both_ into coming here by sending _Bede_ with the invitation. I don’t even get along with Bede. I thought this was an apology on his part, not one of Xolia’s stupid games.” 

“It’s not a game! I’m pretty sure Xolia had no idea we were being invited!”

“You’d be surprised what you’d see if you opened your eyes up, big bro. She plays games with your heart and she never lets up until you break. She’ll make you _think_ she’s into you, only to tear your heart out when it matters most.” 

“Is that what this is about?” Leon tightened his grip on his brother’s arm, concerned for him. Leon _knew_ how Hop felt. He’d done his best to stay out of their way, but something had definitely happened between Hop and Xolia that he knew nothing about. “Listen, I’m sure it was a misunderstanding. The point is, she’s right in front of you and she’s _trying_ to be nice to you despite the fact all you ever do is spit in her face.” 

Hop glanced at me, his face softening. I quickly looked away. “Do you really think… that she’s trying to be nice to me?” 

“I’m sure of it. I think the way you treat her really hurts her.” 

Hop pursed his lips. “Alright. I won’t… make comments like I was, but I’m not going to be friendly either, got it?” 

**~ Four Days Later ~**

**[Lola Blanc - Don't Say You do](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POVXrFA6ptk) **

“Xolia!” Leon screamed, holding onto her arm. The darkness below her was almost infinite, and would surely swallow her up. “H-Hold on, alright?!” 

A breeze picked up. “M-Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s time for us to let go of our feelings for each other!” Tears flooded Xolia’s eyes, dripping down into the chasm below. 

“Don’t talk like that, not like this! Just… just focus on holding on, everyone’s coming!” 

“You scare me, Leon! Your _affection_ scares me! It’s different. It’s not _right._ It’s _weird!_ It’s aggressive, and commanding, and controlling!”

“I’ll never talk to you again if you want, just don’t let go! I’ll disappear forever!”

“That’s not what anyone wants! I just think that we should-” 

“Xolia! Hang on!” Leon jolted, shocked by Bede’s voice. His grip on her wrist slipped, and she could feel time slow as her face turned ashenly pale. Suddenly, he could no longer control his arm, the pain of his broken leg overwhelming him. 

“Let go…” Hop dived for her hand, nearly going over the edge of the cliff, but was caught by Leon. Hop’s fingers trembled, grasping nothing, his face a mix of terror and horror. 

Xolia plummeted into the darkness, watching the faces of the people she knew fade into nothing. Tears streamed from her face, and the last thing she whispered, with a smile on her face, was, “Not literally, you know…” 

Leon let out an agonizing scream. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bought pokemon ultra sun and i think it shows
> 
> This isn't the end of the story, don't worry! WE still have to show how Xolia got to that chasm in the first place.


	18. Chapter 18

_ “You really are kind, Chief Faba! Now we know where to find Cosmog and Lillie!”  _

_ “W-what?!”  _

_ When you know something is wrong, you feel it. It constricts you. It makes you doubt those around you- or wonder if they know what you’re up to when in reality, they can’t probe into your thoughts. _

_ I felt like Gladion could. _

_ I didn’t want to hurt Lillie. I didn’t want to use Cosmog. But the more I saw the power they held, the more desperate I got. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to see more pokemon. After travelling beside them for so long, my hunger grew. No longer was my journey about having fun, or seeing more pokemon.  _

_ It was about power. Being able to tear dimensions themselves asunder and take everything that nobody else would ever be able to have.  _

_ When did my priorities change? When did I take a step off the deep end, and couldn’t return to what I used to be?  _

_ I loved Gladion’s eyes.  _

_ I saw the world in them, once.  _

_ I wish I still could. _

“Ugh.” Agria pulled the pillow of the Champion’s bed over her face. “Stupid dreams. I wish I could smother myself. Anything would be better than in the past.” She glanced over to the left side of the room, where Necrozma contentedly stood, waiting for her to awaken. “I’ve treated you right, haven’t I?” 

It moved closer, making a noise Agria could only describe as affectionate. Agria slid her hand against its skin. 

“I don’t need them. I don’t need anyone as long as I have my pokemon.” And least of all, although she couldn’t say his name out loud for the fear of how she would feel after it left her tongue, she didn’t need Gladion. Agria flopped back onto the bed. “Necrozma… is it too much to ask for a single nap with no dreams? I can barely sleep…”

**DAY ONE**

When Bede had set up this outing, I had figured he’d understand what he was in for. 

I was wrong.

From the second hour, he began to complain. He complained to whoever would listen, comparing the hills to the tedious training Opal had put him through. Luckily, he didn’t go into detail, but instead chose to repeat himself every five minutes until Hop turned around to tell him to ‘Suck it up.’ 

“I don’t have to suck  _ anything  _ up, Hop! I’m here for Xolia, and nobody else!” 

“Oh, yeah, you’re  _ dating  _ her.” Hop rolled his eyes. “I doubt Xolia even knows what dating is. She’s been single her whole life.” 

“Hey!” I protested, causing everyone to look back at me. My face heated up. “I-It’s not like I don’t know, I mean-”

“You probably haven’t even done anything with a guy.” Hop raised his eyebrow. How could he be so sure?! It always felt like he was mocking me, chiding me, trying to push me into a corner. Ever since Leon’s talk, he hasn’t been as malicious or even ignoring me, but I think I preferred him more when he was mad at me!

“Yes I have!” I blurted out, before turning bright red. Three pairs of eyes were on me.

“You haven’t-”

“Done anything-” 

“With me.”

All three of them looked at each other incredulously, before turning back to me, eyes wide.

“N-Never mind. I totally haven’t.” 

“You’re a bad liar. If you haven’t done anything with your boyfriend, or my brother, or me, then who!?” Oh, yikes. I wasn’t so sure I could answer that question.

“Was it Raihan?” Leon’s face was scary enough that I took a step back. “Did you lie to me?” 

“I kissed Raihan, but I didn’t do anything else--”

“So you’ve done more?” Now it was Bede’s turn to glare. 

I flushed. Their gazes were on me. I could probably have screwed this up worse. “I-I… have needs too! I’m sure you guys have done stuff with girls other than kissing, and it’s not like you own my body or anything! Don’t ask if you don’t want to know!” I charged past the boys, stumbling over a rock and falling into a shallow pool below. “Agh!”

“Xolia!” Leon called, the first to drop his anger for concern. He dropped into the shallow pool, waist-deep, only to stop in his tracks. The other boys rushed to help him but paused when they saw me. Leon grabbed my hand and pulled me up, but my arm slipped from his grip when he began to stare. “I-I think Bede should help you.” He murmured, glancing away from me with a slight blush on his face. I got up without his help, but e seemed to have issues with looking at my chest. I looked down, and Pierre’s lingerie was peaking out of my soaked white blouse. I blushed, splashing Leon with how fast I covered myself. “H-Hey!” Leon looked like a wet Houndoom- it was hilarious. Forgetting my position for a moment, I splashed him again. “If you do it again, you’re not going to get away with it!” I liked living with a little bit of danger in my life. 

What came next was a gigantic, crushing wave as Leon splashed with all of his strength. I shrieked and laughed, splashing back, only for Hop to get drenched after Leon dived underwater. He stared at me for a moment, and I couldn’t tell how he felt. He dropped his backpack to the side, the serious look remaining on his face. He began walking away from the pool of the water, and the laughter fell from my smile. I guess our relationship still wasn’t repaired. To my shock, Hop turned on his feet and rushed to the water, laughing as he shouted, “Cannonball!” 

He made huge waves in the pool of water, causing me to go under. I stared at Leon, who was still holding his breath and waved. Bubbles came from the sides of his mouth as he tried to stop laughing, but he couldn’t hold it and surfaced. As he came up for air, I did too, only to be assaulted by Hop in a frontal splash. All splashes stopped as everyone turned to look at Bede.

“Hey.”

We moved closer to the edge of the pool, and he took a step back. 

“Hey, stop.”

The closer we came, the more nervous Bede got.

“I-I’m carrying everything, you know! All of the tents and stuff! Splash me if you dare!” 

It wasn’t enough to dissuade the brothers as they splashed him with all of their might. Bede screamed, tormented by water on both sides. Instead of moving, he curled up into a ball. He didn’t  _ stop  _ screaming, though. He removed the backpack, sliding into the water and splashing Hop with all of his might.

“REVENGE!”


	19. Chapter 19

_ The last roadblock was Guzma. It had only been mere hours that I’d been fighting him in his own territory before. I was a distraction. One that allowed him to take Lillie and Cosmog. But, that wasn’t my primary concern.  _

_ Cosmog was just beyond that door. _

_ Gladios was there, lamenting his loss. He had to leave it to me, he had no choice. _

_ But that was when Guzma spoke.  _

_ “You… don’t seem like you used to be. I know it’s only been a few hours, but there’s something weird in your eyes. I don’t like it. It’s not even a spark anymore- It’s just empty.” I was defeated the first time. Guzma had always given me problems, but it was nothing I wasn’t used to. But I realized; if I was to be defeated by Guzma, I’d never be able to get my hands on Cosmog. _

_ I revived Charizard. _

_ “Are you crazy, kid? I already took your money! Get lost! Scram! Go back to a pokemon centre and come back with a full team!”  _

_ “I don’t need anything other than Charizard to beat you.”  _

_ Guzma paused. His expression gave away how confused he was. “K-Kid… whatever’s in your eyes, it’s gotten worse. Before, they were just empty, but now…” He frowned. “What have you been consumed by?” _

Agria gasped, sitting up. Only a few hours had passed since she last tried to sleep. Of course the past would creep back into her mind, no matter how hard she tried to distract herself. “I need to battle the champion,” She whispered impatiently, placing her chin on her knee. It was too much. The guilt was coming back. There needed to be a reason why everything she’d done to Alola- everything she’d done to her friends- was worth it. What was the point of having power if everyone who saw you ran from you?

She wasn’t alone. 

Then why did she feel so lonely? 

Agria stretched her arm, pausing. She turned her palm upward and traced the lines. Her eyes flicked up to glance at Necrozma, as stoic as always. A loyal watchdog. “Are you… a good substitute for love?” It looked at her, tilting its head. She laughed to herself. “Of course you wouldn’t understand the question. Ahhh… I want to fight someone.” 

**~ DAY FOUR ~**

I screamed in pain as I hit the ground. I could feel both of my legs shatter into fragments. I didn’t even want to look at them, but I knew I had to. I was almost sick when I saw them twisted unnaturally. I feared never being able to walk again. I was scared of dying alone here, in pain. There was no way they’d be able to reach me before pokemon that lived at the bottom of this chasm tore me to pieces. I tried to think positively, but it felt like I’d lost litres of blood. I was lucky it was so dark; had I seen the state my legs were in, most likely with bone poking out, I’d faint immediately. I heard a growl, and my head snapped to the darkness as my eyes adjusted slowly.

A feral pokemon crept closer.  _ Yungoos _ , I thought. It had to be- the outline was too familiar. Something in the distance began to shine, and I swore I heard the sound of hooves approaching. It glowed slightly blue, and my eyes blurred from the tears. All I could think was of the veil a bride wore on her wedding day. It had an elegant, sharp face. The Yungoos scattered, racing away from the being in front of me. I looked at its slender legs, but there were no hooves attached. It was as if it was floating across the ground as it galloped. The pokemon reached down to touch me, and in a flash of its soft, blue light, I felt my consciousness slip away. 

**~ DAY TWO ~** ****

Bede stood before us, dripping wet. His face held the rage of a legendary pokemon’s thunderstorm. “I  _ told  _ you. I had.  _ Everything. _ ” He hissed, his words slow and deliberate. “I had the Poketents. I had food. I had the goddamn instapot!” He yelled, his voice echoing through the hills. “But, for some reason, you still decided to splash me.” It was true, Bede had everything. All of my clothes were soaked, and by the time we’d gotten out of the lake, the sun was already going down. There was no chance we could dry everything out in time for bed. Even if I used Charmander Leon’s body heat, it would put the poor thing at risk. 

“Relax, Bede. Charizard’s got this. The level of body heat he gives off while sleeping can probably dry everything out by the end of the night.” 

“That’s not the point! Everything we had is soaked, and I don’t doubt half of the food is spoiled because of it, too!” 

“Relax. I have a pretty big tent in my backpack. It’s meant for two people, but I think we can all fit in it.” Hop had taken off his shirt, and was squeezing the water out of it. “If you guys need extra clothes, you can borrow some of mine.” I didn’t realize he was so  _ muscular.  _ I glanced away from him, before looking down at my soaking wet mess of an outfit. 

“I’d like to borrow a shirt or something, at least.” I said. I’d never really worn a guy’s clothes before. Wasn’t that something you were supposed to do if you were together? Jesus, what was I  _ thinking?  _ And about  _ Hop,  _ of all people. He glanced at me, and a soft smile crossed his face as he dug through his backpack and pulled out a shirt. He offered it to me, before pulling it away as my fingers touched the fabric.

“This is my favorite shirt. Don’t get it wet.” His tone was playful and light, compared to what it had been before. He let me take his shirt, and I began to undress behind a robust rock. It just barely slipped over my thighs, and my underwear was wet… I rustled around in my wet bag, hoping I could find something not-wet. I found something in a plastic bag, with a note attached. 

_ ‘Being friends with benefits is a good idea, isn’t it? Getting the Champion to give my newest line a test run would be legendary. - Piers.’ _

I was astounded when I thought about  _ when  _ he would’ve slipped this in there. I slipped on the dry underwear, happy to feel relief and comfort.  _ Wow,  _ these were super comfortable, and there was more than one pair, as well. It was a little bit too racy for my emotional comfort, though. But.. it was all I had. 

Leon had picked a similar rock to undress at. He watched the champion intently, almost hypnotically, a blush spreading across his face. It was wrong to just sit here and look at her like this. For decency’s sake, he should look away. As Xolia turned around to look around, he dived back behind the rock, taking off all of his clothes in a hurry and struggling to put on a pair of cargo shorts. He took a deep breath, before dashing out and patting his brother on the back. “Guess we’re roughing it, right?” 

“That has to have been a world record time on how fast you changed clothes.” Hop raised an eyebrow. 

“Well, I, uh, want to catch some fish before the sun goes down. And, uh, I guess I want to look for berries too?” He laughed a little too loudly, causing Hop to jump.

“Are you okay, bro?”

“I’m fine.” 

**~**

_ Necrozma was beautiful. In its ultimate form, even more so. I had to have it, but it knocked away every Pokeball I sent toward it. My frustration exploded, and I defeated it. It scampered away, pathetically. I wondered if this was the power I sought. I didn’t think so. I realized the only way to find it again would be to play along with everyone else. I completed the last trial. I fought my way up to the Elite Four- and there it was, in its broken glory- lost. _

_ I walked up to it. I told it that either way, we can struggle against each other until one of us collapses, or we can work together for our goals. I held out a simple pokeball. As it struggled to fight back, I threw a pokeball- and like that, with a single shake and click, it was mine. I wondered if it took what I’d said to heart.  _

_ It’s not to say I didn’t love my other pokemon. I’d never connected with Primarina. He was my first, and yet, there was nothing we had to say to each other. He accompanied me faithfully, but I rarely called him out to fight for me. He seemed to accept this without a struggle.  _

_ And yet, looking upon Necrozma, I could feel my heart burst into varied colours, as his prisms showed me.  _

_ I tore through Hau. He posed no challenge, not with Necrozma and Charizard at my side. It was a crushing, unrelenting defeat that surely embarrassed him. I’d feel such rage if it happened to me, and yet, he took it with a smile.  _

_ And that’s when everything inside of me broke. The shame from losing to him time and time again on the trail. The losses I’d accrued against Totem Pokemon. How I struggled to fight them, even though I’d trained so hard. “How dare you?! How could you stand there with a stupid smile on your face like that and feed me such pathetic lines?!”  _

_ “A-Agria,” Professor Kukui looked shocked, “You won. What’s wrong?” _

_ “What’s wrong is I’m surrounded by people who are unworthy of me. Unworthy of Necrozma! How dare you steal its light and use it to power up your pathetically weak pokemon?! Really, are you fools any better than your ancestors?! You refuse to give Necrozma back what belongs to it, which leaves it in a constant state of pain!”  _

_ “Hey, Agria! What’s wrong?! You’ve never… said anything like this before!” Hau took a step forward, but a burst of air came from behind me as Necrozma came out of its pokeball. At that moment, I’d never felt so in sync with something. It was as if my thoughts were its own. _

_ “You don’t deserve the light. Alola doesn’t deserve any of it!” Wormholes began to tear open in the space beside me. The sky, once shining with brilliant sunlight, clouded over, becoming dark and desolate. Hopeless. The Tapus rushed to the location, but I pulled out Charizard. “I’ll make all of them mine. I’ll bring Alola to its knees! You’ll finally be where you belong; weak trainers and weak pokemon, crushed under my heel and forced to submit to Necrozma!” _

**_The rest_ **

**_Was history._ **

Agria covered her eyes with her arm. Her hair was spread out all across the bed as a single tear slid down her cheek, her voice cracking. 

“Damn it.” 


End file.
